Pope Francis does deserve praise and thanks for internationalizing the college of Cardinals.  At the same time, he has continued to appoint electors from Italy.  There are simply way too many Italian cardinals.  For all the talk of decentralizing curial and ecclesial power, that Italian electors are still named, including to the degree done in the current pontificate, shows that we will have to wait for a future papacy to truly embark on this task.  

The authors usually nonsense about "sexism" is expected and unfortunate.  Old liberals such as those on NCR editorial staff, need to start encountering and accompanying Catholics outside their safe space.  When they do, they will realize that being a cleric, even a cardinal is not about power, but supposed to be about sacrifice, duty, and service, of a type limited to males with orders.