Cardinal Kasper is Enjoying the Spotlight, and Taking Heat, as the ‘Pope’s Theologian’

Religion News Service ^ | 4/15/14 | David Gibson

[marshmallow]

NEW YORK (RNS) To hear Cardinal Walter Kasper tell it, he became the pope’s point man for reform in the Catholic Church thanks to a bit of serendipity, or, if you will, Providence, before anyone knew that Francis was going to be the next Roman pontiff

The genesis of their partnership, Kasper recalled during a recent trip to New York, was a fateful encounter that took place a few days before last year’s conclave, when all the electors in the College of Cardinals from around the world were staying in the Vatican guesthouse.

Kasper’s room happened to be right across the hallway from that of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. A renowned German theologian who just turned 80, Kasper had recently received a Spanish translation of his latest book, “Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life.” He brought a couple copies with him and gave one to Bergoglio.

“Ah, mercy!” the Argentine cardinal exclaimed when he saw the title. “This is the name of our God!”

The two men knew each other a bit — Kasper had been to Buenos Aires several times on church business — but it turns out Bergoglio’s reaction wasn’t just one of those pro forma compliments you might give to an acquaintance at a book party. Mercy had long been a guiding principle for Bergoglio’s ministry, and he devoured Kasper’s original, wide-ranging study in the days leading up to the voting.

Then, on the evening of March 13, it was Bergoglio who emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Francis. And just four days later, the new pope addressed a huge crowd in the square — and as a surprised Kasper watched on television, he heard Francis praising him as a “very sharp theologian” and..............

[BlatherNaut]

“I told the pope, ‘Holy Father, there will be a controversy afterward,’” Kasper said. The pope laughed and told him: “That’s good, we should have that!”

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Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you; but that you be perfect in the same mind, and in the same judgment. 1 Cor 1:10

[ebb tide]

After Francis publicly praised Kasper’s work, an older cardinal in Rome came to the pope and insisted: “Holy Father, you should not recommend this book! There are many heresies in it!” The pope smiled as he told Kasper the story, and reassured him: “It goes in one ear and out the other.”

At least we know where the Pope stands on defending the Faith.

[PatriotGirl827]

to read later

[tioga]

whoa, I just ordered the book on my kindle.

[Chesterbelloc]

Kasper and his new book are discussed in this article:

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/kasper-versus-kasper

[tioga]

Thanks, I feel better about my purchase now.

[piusv]

It just keeps getting better all the time.....

[ebb tide]

Sorry to hear that. Kasper’s book of heresies is currently going for $11.49 on Amazon’s Kindle.

You could have gotten the Baltimore Catechism for free, or the Catechism of the Council of Trent for $1.99, or the Catholic Catechism of St Pius X for $1.29 from the same source.

[ebb tide]

Thanks, I feel better about my purchase now.

How did the following paragraph make you feel better about buying Kasper's book?

Through contemplating this contradiction, I’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion that Cardinal Kasper—and many other German-speaking bishops—are willing to do whatever they think it takes to change the Church’s doctrine on marriage in ways that, while nominally retaining the principle of marriage’s indissolubility, effectively nullify the principle’s content à la the church of England. And that suggests that, for all their protestations to the contrary, some of these bishops don’t believe in true marriage’s indissolubility. This in turn puts them at odds with part of the divine law specified by Christ Himself.