text: Wish Francis would do some more talking about shepherd's trusting the sheep.  We have a vast difference in understanding about contraceptives, gay marriage, sexuality in general, other issues - between the sheep and the shepherds.  But Francis does not seem inclined to want to listen when these are the subjects.  
  
  I admit, though, that Francis may be playing a longer game.  If he can get the stupid bishops to make lay synods routine and lay councils mandatory and empowered to oversee a bishop - he may finally get some mechanisms in place in which the voice of the "sheep" can be heard by the "shepherds."  He is starting with trying to get them to listen to each other.  But they still are not listening outside the ranks of the male, celibate, ontologically special ones who don't have a lay person's life experience.
  
  The Catholic church is not structured to be a listening Church and I don't think they can be a "listening" church without giving some power away.  Will they?