A Good Shepherd --- Bishop Carlson of Saginaw Chatting Up the Pope Today

The American Papist notes the visit of Saginaw Bishop Robert Carlson, formerly Auxiliary of St.Paul-Mpls and then Bishop of Sioux Falls, in a separate audience with Pope Benedict today. A perceptive commenter noted:
"Cool!

I suggest it means something. Meetings with single bishops from small dioceses are pretty darned rare, except in the ad limina context.

So...

It probably means either:

1. Bishop Carlson wants to discuss hard choices in his diocese--the question of what is or is not too provocative or destructive when facing a diocese like Saginaw that is full of dissenters, or...

2. Bishop Carlson is going to get a big, fat post, like Washington or Detroit. More likely Detroit. Possibly some curial position, though. Still, I bet on Detroit. Wouldn't that be nice! He *IS* fabulous. He gets that there's a fundamental difference between men and women like no other bishop I know." [Jeff]