Catholic bishops in America have often been confrontational in their encounters with the rest of society, especially government. With mutterings of discontent from some about the new Pope, will their first gathering since Francis’ election see a mellowing in their approach? On Monday in Baltimore, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) opens its first plenary meeting since the election of Pope Francis. The meeting will demonstrate how the US bishops will respond to the electrifying sense of possibility that the new Pope has stimulated, and which is obvious enough to the people in the pews, or whether it will be business as usual. The agenda for the meeting reveals that the bishops will discuss whether or not to issue a statement on pornography (spoiler alert) to w