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Despite the criticism, the mood of the gathering was one of elation over what England's John Cardinal Heenan described as the "tolerance and charity" of the bishops. The prevailing sentiment of the synod was so clearly in favor of reforms that it seemed unlikely that the Pope could long avoid implementing them. But no one challenged the Pontiff's supreme authority, or his right to delay acting upon or even to ignore what the prelates recommended.
What will come of the reforms lies entirely in the hands of Pope Paul. Describing himself as a spectator who did not want to interfere with the synod's "complete liberty," he listened attentively to synod speeches at five of the seven sessions and scribbled notes. During intermissions, he mingled with the prelates over coffee and biscuits in the daily clerical kaffeeklatsch.
But during his regular public audience last week, the Pope resorted to unusually outspoken terms to make it clear that any sharing of his authority will have to come gradually. The church, he said, "is a spiritual and religious fact. Faith generates it. Authority directs it. The Holy Spirit enlivens it. It cannot be changed at will."