John L. Allen Jr.
Pope Francis greets Bishop Mariano Crociata of Latina, Italy, newly elected president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, during an audience at the Vatican March 23, 2023, with members attending the commission's plenary meeting. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) When the US bishops elected a centre-right prelate and protégé of an influential conservative Italian cardinal as their president last November, it was framed in much reporting and commentary as a protest vote against Pope Francis. ‘Bishops elect anti-Francis archbishop as president,’ was how the National Catholic Reporter headlined an editorial blasting the choice of Archbishop Timothy…
