On February 10, 2025, the Vatican published a “Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops of the United States of America.” Reactions to the letter have varied.

From whatever perspective one looks at it, there are parts that perhaps should have been worded differently. But one’s perspective matters, doesn’t it?

Well here’s a perspective that most of us don’t have: explicit addressees of this epistle. Most of us (excluding only the American episcopal readers of this blog) are not “Bishops of the United States of America.” That means the letter is not addressed to us as individuals. It’s an open letter addressed to a particular set of pastors that is also meant to be read by all who are open to reading it.

Why does this matter? It helps to put in perspective one’s criticisms. One of the things I wish had been worded a little differently, for example, was the part in ¶ 3 about “the true ordo amoris.” Portions of this paragraph read rather like writing by one or more of the letter’s addressees rather than to them—which would be weird if true, and in any event is potentially more confusing than clarifying.

As for those of you reading this blog post and wondering if the title is calling you out, all I can say is I am addressing nobody in particular but myself (and the internet in general). Nor do I mean to imply that there are no critics of Pope Francis who are also Bishops of the United States of America. The title is just to grab your attention and hit you with a question.

Enough about the question, though. WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER?

If your answer to the question is no, then the letter is not addressed to you. Don’t read it like it is. And maybe also try not to read it as if it were addressed to anybody else. Consider, instead, how the letter might be read by the various Bishops of the United States.

And if your answer is yes, super (and thanks for reading Ordinatus!). Maybe we even agree on some of the finer points of the letter we wish had been worded differently.

It’s not wrong for any of us to disagree with Pope Francis on many matters. St. Peter’s critics were sometimes right (and forceful, see Galatians 2:11). But one critic in particular tended more toward tenderness. (“Quo vadis, Domine?”)

It is an office not only of the Bishop of Rome, but also of the Bishops of the United States of America and of brother bishops spread throughout this wide world, to teach. A little docility on our part can help this work of the Holy Spirit. And by “our,” I mean to include me. As an American icon of my childhood once put it (though in a seemingly Pelagian key):

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It’s time that I realize
That there are some with no home
Not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me pretending that they’re not alone?