“In moments of turmoil throughout the second half of the 20th century, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States always had a cardinal with the political savvy and force of character to corral his peers. The names are legendary: Francis Spellman, Terence Cooke, Joseph Bernardin, John O’Connor. As the nation’s Catholic bishops gather in St. Louis today for three days of meetings, the absence of such a figure is conspicuous, according to Catholic scholars, clergy and lay leaders.”