Reflections of a stormy petrel

You're right - I forget that most Catholics probably don't even hear when their own bishops do something, much less a bishop in another country. It's not that I thought the Catholics on pilgrimage are indifferent or hostile to the two statements I quoted, but that if they'd ignore the local bishop, why wouldn't they ignore the Pope? But of course if they haven't heard, they aren't ignoring what he said, they're ignorant of it instead.