If US church is to become synodal, we have a lot of work to do

If US church is to become synodal, we have a lot of work to do 

The original conference was pushing back against Rome and followed the lead of the Cardinals among them. The current one is divided, with St. John Paul bishops hoping that they can resist the current pope for only a short time before they get a pope more to their liking. This is not to say that division in the Conference is a bad thing. People like it when their own side is dominant, but debate is good. It keeps matters from being swept under the rug. To pretend that the conference is not like any other group of human beings is idealistic ecclesiology, not reality. 

There is one sure way to strengthen the Conference (or any group of people). Give them an opposing force to argue with (rather than seeking imagined enemies in the White House). The bishops like the status quo. To change it, elevate the Cardinal Advisors to the level of national or continental patriarch on the Orthodox model. This will both temper the actions of dissidents while giving them a reason for engagement.

Rethinking sex, especially the sexuality of the priesthood, would be to actually face the reality of how warped Catholic theology is. Complementarity is a hopeless concept. Priests (those who are not gay) need to realize they are the A in LGBTQIA (asexual) and quit acting like they are superior rather than different. Relating to the fact that their dreams of holiness are simply deviance from the norm would give them the necessary humility to deal with those of us who fall closer to sexual normality. Let the Conference chew on that issue for a while and leave Democratic voters alone for a bit.