‘We’re generals without armies, and the civil authorities know it’: 28 bishops speak confidentially about challenges (First Things)

“The most sensitive matter in my various interviews involved bishops’ attitudes toward Pope Francis,” said Francis X. Maier. “All of the men I spoke with expressed a sincere fidelity to the Holy Father. But many also voiced an equally vigorous frustration with what they see as his ambiguous comments and behavior. . . . When pressed, none of the bishops I queried could report a single diocesan seminarian inspired to pursue priestly life by the current Pope.”