John Paul II hoped to hold a synod on the roles of bishops during the 2000 Jubilee Year. But it didn't take place until 2001. In his opening homily to the bishops, he said: "With the Apostle we will say: ‘Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort - be unfailing in patience and in teaching' (II Tm 4:2)."
The decline of the U.S. Church (it has given up on more Catholics divorcing, using contraception, supporting abortion, and, of course, the horror that some priests have abused children accompanied by a tragic blindness to the massive amount of child abuse in the culture already) has left Catholics somewhat whipped. Where is the sense of urgency, the convincing, rebuking, and exhorting? Or is the American culture so benign that such instruments are simply not needed?
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