text: All councils issue documents which are the result of compromises between the bishops.
  
  Vatican II did teach that the Church is hierarchical in its constitution at the time it was founded.
  
  Francis did seek input, and then when it wasn’t what he expected, may have attempted to footnote his way around that input. Unless and until he clarifies things, it’s all guesswork.
  
  St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI restored some clarity to the chaos that followed Vatican II, in particular that not every teaching is up for grabs and that the Church progresses in continuity, not breaks.