Yes, and the good (elderly VII generation) cardinal is out there presenting himself as the spokesman of Pope Francis. I don’t think he really is, but I think that for some reason Francis is very intimidated by liberals, and German liberals in particular.
Many people talk about Francis as a Latin American, but actually, he’s an Argentinian, which is a breed unto itself. Argentinians think they’re better than other people in Latin America, because they think they’re more European (because of the Italian, German and English influence) and many of them boast that they have not a drop of Spanish blood since they regard Spaniards (such as Opus Dei members) as trash.
I wish he’d move beyond being a provincial Argentine bishop, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen. Every so often he writes something that makes me think this may be happening, but then he goes out the next day and does or permits something utterly stupid and not at the level of a Pope. One thing he should do immediately is stuff a sock in Kasper’s mouth, although I will say that Kasper’s stupid statements have galvanized the opposition.
Many people talk about Francis as a Latin American, but actually, he’s an Argentinian, which is a breed unto itself. Argentinians think they’re better than other people in Latin America, because they think they’re more European (because of the Italian, German and English influence) and many of them boast that they have not a drop of Spanish blood since they regard Spaniards (such as Opus Dei members) as trash.
I wish he’d move beyond being a provincial Argentine bishop, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen.
What I find the most interesting about Kasper's response is the "Catholicity" (not sure if that's the right use of the word here) that he claims requires Cardinals and Bishops to maintain inclusivity with liberal theological views. Am I correct in reading that collegiality is raised to the level of doctrine? Most telling was his response regarding the book Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church, which Cardinal Burke had a hand in, an which appears to have been written with Kasper's views as the primary target. Has anything happened to the other four cardinals besides Burke?