Good words, reported widely, from Pope Benedict:
I wish to reaffirm my deep gratitude for the example of fidelity and self-sacrifice given by many consecrated women in your country.
He could do worse than to sign on to Fr James Martin’s initiative.
Meanwhile, on the papal front, English-language outlets are all aflutter about the Vatican’s quick work condemning the leak of private papal documents and their pouring into what’s going to be a hugely popular book. The dotCommontariat wonders, but lacking an Italian translator with the actual pages, we’re left to wonder about the content. Banks. The LC. A cat licks the dinner dishes in the papal apartment.
I confess my curiosity about the source of the leaks. Somewhat less on the outrage about it. Boredom on the Legionaries–they’re toast by now, right? Most curious about the “excesses of bishops.” What does that mean?
Catholic Sensibility 
I, frankly, didn’t see any change in the Vatican’s persecution of women religious in the passage quoted above.
I’m sure the Pope does think there are MANY (i.e. not ALL or even MOST) faithful and self-sacrificing consecrated women in the U.S. They’re the ones who insist on dressing like the Flying Nun and calling themselves “Our Lady of We Hate Planned Parenthood” and “Sisters of Down With Feminazis”.
Indeed the whole point of this persecution is meant to make THOSE women the public face of women religious in the U.S. and not the aging hippies who actually care for the poor and probably smell like Patchouli.
If the Pope would’ve expressed his gratitude to “the many” consecrated women, instead of simply “many”, it might be a different story. But, as worded, I don’t see any change here.
Those 2 communities you mentioned must be QUITE new and VERY small. I haven’t see evidence of them — yet.
But I’m sure they’d get pride of place in any papal audience in which they were in attendance.
Todd, it’s amusing how you progressives so easily glom onto the MSM slant on such things! The pope might as well have been reading the first couple of sentences of the the report that you all think is such a heavy handed indictment of those poor old grey-haired sisters.