Bishop Tobin published his thoughts on the Synod. Definitely worth reading:

The concept of having a representative body of the Church voting on doctrinal applications and pastoral solutions strikes me as being rather Protestant.

— In addressing contemporary issues of marriage and the family, the path forward will probably be found somewhere between the positions of Fr. Z and the National Catholic Reporter.

— Have we learned that it’s probably not a good idea to publish half-baked minutes of candid discussions about sensitive topics, especially when we know that the secular media will hijack the preliminary discussions for their own agendas?

— I wonder what the Second Vatican Council would have looked like and what it would have produced if the social media had existed at that time.

— Pope Francis encouraged fearless and candid discussion and transparency during the Synod. I wonder if the American Bishops will adopt the same protocol during their meeting next month in Baltimore.

— Wherever he serves, Cardinal Burke will be a principled, articulate and fearless spokesman for the teachings of the Church.

— Pope Francis is fond of “creating a mess.” Mission accomplished.

— Relax. God’s still in charge.

I don’t see this as a scathing critique of Pope Francis as some others do. Pope Francis said he wanted to mix things up. Well we’re mixed up. Some good can come out of it. I know Pope Francis has made me question myself many times. Perhaps made me less intransigent. On the other hand, there’s a real danger here of Catholics being confused about Church teaching. And that’s a problem.

And hey, Fr. Z got a shout out. That’s pretty cool. I also like his shout out to Cardinal Burke.

In short, Bishop Tobin is someone who will speak his mind.