I'll give you my take from having worked most of my life for the Church. I've known a lot of bishops and worked on the staffs of four. They were all good guys, personable, pastoral (more or less), and sincere. Of the four I worked for personally, two were more on the liberal side and two leaned more to the conservative. But one thing they all had in common was an aversion to anybody who, for any reason, wanted to make waves.

I just think that's just a part of the DNA of most bishops. It's probably the same for most priests. It isn't so much about ecclesiology or ideology as it is about wanting to avoid controversy and the headaches that go with it. They just want to get along, keep their dioceses on an even keel when it's their watch, and then hand it over to the next guy.

Some may see that as cowardly, others as prudent. But that's the way it is.