Archbishop Charles Chaput writes: “What we need now is for the papacy to return to its primary task of strengthening and uniting the faithful. This requires stability, clarity, and the embrace of spiritual fatherhood.”
The retired archbishop recognizes that some Catholics are frustrated with prelates who seem to show “unthinking agreement” with papal statements.
The bishops’ motive is not cowardice, he writes:
Far more often it’s a prudent fear of scandalizing the faithful and causing division. But I’d argue that, at this point, we’re well past worrying about such things.