Thank you, Richard R. Gaillardetz, for this grounding of the actions Pope Francis has taken back into Vatican II and away from the politics of personalities that seems to be overemphasized in so much news these days.  

"Vatican II taught that the bishops shared with the pope 'supreme and full authority' in pastoral service of the universal church."  The current crop of U.S. bishops makes me uncomfortable with them actually acting as a collegial body and with pastoral service.  Some of them appear to be more in the line of mafia enforcers than shepherds.  We can only hope Francis can make a difference in the long run by 1) encouraging bishops who may have been too fearful to really be shepherds under the axe wielded by JPII and BXVI and 2) appointing bishops who are less concerned with enforcing rules and more concerned with walking in faith with people at all stages of their faith development.

The Church has taken 50 years to really begin to implement Vat II structurally.  Far to go.