How will the "Francis Effect" impact next week's US bishops meeting?

[UrbScotty]

If Francis has made one thing clear in his nearly nine months on the job, it is that he wants the church to radically change its tone and style, starting at the top. The pontiff has repeatedly blasted careerism among churchmen and ripped “airport bishops” who spend more time jetting around the globe — and to Rome — rather than being pastors who go out to their flock and come back “smelling of the sheep,” as he likes to put it.

The pope has also lamented the church’s “obsession” with a few moral issues, including abortion and homosexuality, and called for a “new balance” that highlights the church’s concern for the poor and the marginalized.

“The pendulum has begun to shift back and how long it will continue to do so, well that is up to the Holy Spirit. For the moment, I find all this absolutely amazing,” Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla., wrote in an enthusiastic blog post after Francis gave an interview detailing his pastoral vision for the church.

The so-called “Francis Effect” is showing up in various ways, as some culture-warrior bishops have moderated their language on gays or shifted their emphasis to issues such as immigration. On the other side, bishops who have struggled for years to highlight the church’s social justice teachings are getting a new hearing.

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/11/05/catholic-bishops-meet-francis-effect-changes-everything/