It is a big mistake on the part of the Vatican to think that the American Church, apart from some exceptional dioceses, can pastor itself.
>>>>It is a big mistake on the part of the Vatican to think that the American Church, apart from some exceptional dioceses, can pastor itself.
I don't think its a mistake so much as a cost they are willing to bear. They take the long term view. In that view (I think) they are deciding that a short term fix of the political system isn't worth taking all the authority away from the Ordinaries. There are simply too many negatives to Vatican interference here. While the Pope has the power to shut down this issue, I really doubt he will do so. Better to fix the Bishops than to change the whole Church's operating structure to deal with the lousy Bishops we have now.
Problem is, fixing the Bishops takes along time, and they obviously got started much too late.
patent