Ah, but Mr. Adams, everything changes over time.
The only Constant is God, Eternal and Unchanging.
The Church of Rome right this minute is evolving in new directions. The Church of Rome moves with the speed of a glacier, but at the same time, the Church of Rome has always been ahead of everybody else.
John XXIII (1958-1963) was the last "European" pope; Paul VI (1963-1978) intuitively sensed a change, and looked to Asia. And then John Paul II (1978-2005) widened that vision, expanding into Africa and the long-neglected Latin America. Benedict XVI (2005-) has recognized the Islamic world (although probably for confrontation, not cultivation, confrontation in this sense being necessary).
lt's been a very long time since any pope has paid attention to the western world (i.e., Roman Catholics of European derivation), other than in the token sense, a few visits here and there. It's probably because some Wisdom granted visionaries prompted them to see the old fruit was getting rotten, and it was time to cultivate this new, richer, fruit.
Everything changes over time.
Only God is the Same, yesterday, today, tomorrow.