Roman Catholics: Council on the Move

The second session of Vatican Council II got off dead center at last. By an overwhelming majority, the 2,300 Roman Catholic prelates gathered in St. Peter's Basilica voted in favor of the proposition that bishops collectively share with the Pope, by divine right, "full and supreme power" over the church. The vote did not challenge papal supremacy, but it did indicate that the council will eventually provide Catholic bishops with more rights and authority than they now have—and it marked the first sign of real progress since the session began. Said Pittsburgh's Bishop John Wright: "This marks the turning...