I believe you are right.  Just as Jesus accompanied the disciples on the road to Emmaus and explained to them the truth of Who He Is, so Francis, I trust, is accompanying those in irregular relationships into right-relationship.  In the end, however, it is up to those who receive the truth to accept or reject it.

As an aside, the second sentence in the article, "[Pope Francis] is indeed seeking to remake the church into his own image," is really unfortunate.  That's not the pope's or anyone's role but God's.  If some think that Francis was really the Spirit's choice and that the last two popes were aberrations, then it's a sniveling little god they worship who is so easily overcome by the machinations of old men in colorful dresses.