The underlying problem is, as Archbishop Chaput, is that so many bishops were reared in Democratic homes. Stunned by the defection of so many Catholic pols after Roe v. Wade, many of them temporized on the issue of abortion, and following the lead of Bernardin, they took the Democratic side on other social issues, nuclear disarmament, etc. They gave cover to pols with the “personally opposed “ excuse, which still mattered to most Catholic voters thirty years ago. But the feminists , the gays and others in the Democratic coalition were unforgiving and refused to give them a place at the table. I dare so without much evidence, that some of the bishops are unfaithful. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I say they were deluded. Still, I was stunned when at the Dallas CYA meeting after the priest scandal broke, that one of their chosen speakers was Margaret Steinfels, editor of the tiny circulation “Commonweal.” If this was the one they turned to for advise, then no wonder they found themselves in the fix they did. BYT that was more than 10 years ago. Now we have a pope who was shaken to the core by the events of 1968. That year about for many things, but certainly for the revolt against “Humanae Vitae.” We lost much of our “officer corps,” and of those who remained to hold episcopal office and to recruit new clergy, not many were first rate.
Many bishops deliberately ignored the Vatican’s instructions to make it clear that abortion was paramount among issues during elections; contrast that with how effectively they’ve gotten the word out about Obama’s requirements that they provide birth control.
Most of them have lost their faith; they are not deluded. They’ve made the Church irrelevant in America.