Monica...in a corporate world middle managers do deserve your suggested practice.

But the Church is not a corporation and by any standard it is a huge and highly unwieldly barque of over 2500 dioceses, 4000 hierarchs, et al....with a profoundly varied history, agenda, preferential style ..you name it. I think the Pope has a totally impossible job...to deal with top heavy and obviously resistant "management" at the Curial level that is doubtless fighting him every step of the way as he tries to deal with renewal and reform..."reform that is needed because she is alive"

AND Francis is "going public" and has done so at these annual pre Christmas gatherings since 2013.

I think his public comments are a "heads up" to all of us, worldwide about the status of his reform efforts....AND a "heads up" to resistant players that their "resistence" is noted, and identified. The pope mostly likely is using the public stage as firing all the "resistors" is virtually impossible this side of schism.