Who makes the rules around here?

The news headline today is, "Pope worries big powers control decision making", referring to Pope Benedict's UN speech, while after hearing of the debacle of the Washington, DC Mass I worry that the biggest power in the Catholic Church doesn't control decision making. After reading books by the Pope about the importance of the liturgy, the need to return Mass to a focus on God and the Redemption, rather than the current parish community hug-fest, I was sadly disappointed that the Papal Mass was so bad. One watcher said that the Pope rolled his eyes several times during the service. If the Emissary of Christ can't find a good Mass, then what can the poor souls in middle-American pews supposed to do to improve the Church?

Perhaps it was a good thing that the Pope, who gets to attend daily TLM with Gregorian Chant, has to suffer through what the average Catholic does every Sunday. Maybe he will get fed up and actually use his power to force some change rather than speak in diplomacy gobbledy gook. "Please," "It would be preferred," and "One should do..." don't cut it in today's world. "You will do..." "This is forbidden..." stated forcefully to bishops and priests might get us somewhere though.

I am just saddened to see an apparent disconnect between Pope Benedict's words and actions. This is from an article Friday: "some Catholics believe they have "a right to pick and choose" in the faith, "maintaining external social bonds but without an integral, interior conversion to the law of Christ.""We have seen this emerge in an acute way in the scandal given by Catholics who promote an alleged right to abortion," he lamented. It is this internal betrayal by Catholics that seems to most deeply distress the Holy Father. Besides the much publicized cases of sexual abuse by priests, and the proliferation of homosexuality within certain seminaries, the scandalous behavior of a majority of Catholics in political life also gives rise to the Pontiff's deep sadness. However he personally allowed Nancy Polosi, John Kerry, and Ted Kennedy to receive Holy Communion at the DC Mass. What does this show bishops who have refused Communion to pro-abortion politicians? What does this show to the average Catholic?