Imagining the Church Catholic: What You See, What You Get

Imagine a catholic church.  One whose official voice of conscience in the public square (to echo the latest editorial published by National Catholic Reporter) reflects the voice of the entire church Catholic.  One in which every member of the far-flung communion that is the Catholic church has an "official voice" when the leaders of the church gather.

Imagine the "official voice" of a church that is authentically catholic gathering to deliberate, as the U.S. Catholic bishops do routinely: 

To make decisions and address the culture at large (again, the U.S. Catholic bishops meeting): 

To pray together (and again, the U.S. Catholic bishops meeting):

To celebrate liturgy together (and yet again, the U.S. Catholic bishops meeting): 

To listen to its chosen leaders speak (and again ditto): 

Or here's what the "official voice" of the church looks like at its very top levels, the curia, when that "official voice" meets with the topmost level of all, the pope:

Or here:

Imagine all of the above--pictures of gatherings of the "official voice" of the Catholic church--and then imagine a church that is truly and authentically catholic.  Because something is missing in the preceding pictures, if the term "catholic" really means what it says: here comes everybody.

Can you spot what's missing?

And can you also spot what all of these pictures have in common, and what they say about who actually is the official voice of the Catholic church?  

Imagine.