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Catholics of many descriptions, and non-Catholics concerned about the Church’s influence, will be hoping next month that the cardinals elect a pope committed to changing the Church. Whatever their desires, however, they’ll probably be as little satisfied as the people who dreamt that Pope Benedict XVI would produce significant innovation. A pope can push the Vatican slightly this way or that, but can no longer be expected to effect serious transformation. The bureaucracy is far too encrusted to be budged and for many more years will be kept busy dealing with sexual-abuse cases. Even so, the Church does greatly alter itself, contrary to widespread opinion. It is not rigid, even when it tries to be. Those who have observed it over the last few decades have seen fundamental,...