"The impression the new instructions creates is that if someone says they’re sorry then the elders should take them at their word. It is only an impression and they haven’t spelled this out in so many words, but otherwise it’s hard to understand what the fuss is about. If this is what they mean then they need to state it more clearly, because there will still be hardline elders who stick to the old procedures of not believing the person in the judicial committee, unless they are explicitly told otherwise."
I think that that is the point. I said elsewhere that you can still be an arsehole, just try to look less like an arsehole (particularly when the world's governments are looking). It's ambiguous. It's something that they can point governments and courts to, but it hasn't materially affected much.