“Most of the bishops, instead of being the strong characters
presently needed, dynamic and active personalities, even if indeed pious
and religious men, are in effect at the same time mediocre, or even
below mediocrity. Some are apathetic, timid, indolent or vain; others
are conformists, bureaucrats or introverts; many are ignorant and clumsy
administrators. […]. Sometimes the whole episcopate of a country looks
like a bunch of cripples”.
How does that sound today?
But this was written in 1931!
Nothing is held back in a comment in Latin:
“Aliquando autem totus episcopatus alicuius nationis ita est
compositus, veluti si coecorum, claudorum et infirmorum omne genus esset
refugium.”
“The problem is aggravated by the Holy See’s tendency to appoint only obedient and complacent prelates.”
“As for the cardinals, the senate of the Church and the electors of
the pope, here the situation is even worse, particularly in the case of
those attached to the Roman curia. The sacred college contains too many
non-entities who have reached their rank by never asking awkward
questions. The merit of many eminences is not their excellent pastoral
experience or learning, but that of having staffed a Vatican desk for a
very long time. Without any real knowledge of the world or the life of
the universal Church, they are nevertheless automatically promoted and
placed in executive jobs far above their modest talents.”
“Almost half of the cardinals and the great majority of the curial
ones are Italians, as if the Holy Ghost had a distinct preference for
the Italian nation (“veluti si solos Italos Spiritus Sanctus dignos
invenerit ut eos tamquam S. Pontificis et proximos consultores et
electores illustraret”). This only aggravates the matter, for even if
Italians may have many talents, they are certainly not noted for their
organizational skills. For the universal Church, this is at the same
time both an insult and an injustice. The few excellent foreign prelates
present in the curia are examples of what the alternative might look
like.”
What about proposals for reform?
“Radical changes are needed in the system of recruitment or election
[of the bishops and cardinals]. The appointment of bishops should not be
left exclusively to the Holy See, where generally the candidates are
little known, while the information provided is often biased or
unreliable.”
And for the cardinals:
“To emphasize the universal character of the Church, the sacred
college should be internationalized by spreading its membership more
evenly, while the number of Italian cardinals needs to be reduced
drastically. The international character of the Roman curia as a whole
should be promoted. Next, the so-called ‘loca cardinalitia’ must be
abolished. Only real princes of the Church, known for their outstanding
qualities, should be raised to the scarlet: that is, learned, pious and
zealous men, who know the world, are experienced, well-informed and
therefore able to act as real counsel to the pope.”
You can read more here