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Furthermore, there is no conspiracy of silence, the FR kook chorus, notwithstanding. Reuters, AP, The NY Times, the TV networks......one or more of them would have picked up on this and run with it.

The kook chorus eh?

The kook is the one you are trying to protect . The kook is the Obama of the Roman Catholic church who mocks the fundamental view of the bible because he believes in evolution and likes Darwin , likes to quote Nietzsche who thinks God is dead , he even likes to twitter on his cell phone and seems have a thing for Chicago to boot .
Some even think he is a good candidate to be the next Pope . LOL wonder if he is going to pick the name "Petrus Romanus"

I want to affirm, as an a priori, the compatibility of the theory of evolution with the message of the Bible and the Church's theology

“ Ravasi pointed out that Charles Darwin had never been condemned by the church, nor was his Origin of Species ever placed on the index of prohibited books. Ravasi brushed aside a question about whether the Catholic Church should posthumously apologise to Darwin

http://www.faith.org.uk/publications/Magazines/Nov08/Nov08CuttingEdge.pdf

Quoting the late Pope John Paul II, Ravasi said that "evolution can no longer be considered a hypothesis."
Pope Benedict XVI warned last week against fundamentalists' literal interpretations of the Bible. The pontiff told a gathering of intellectuals and academics in Paris that the structure of the Bible "excludes by its nature everything that today is known as fundamentalism. In effect, the word of God can never simply be equated with the letter of the text," Benedict said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5817832&page=1#.UK-Md4arqSo

Ravasi said that Antje Jackelén, the female bishop of Lund, will not only be an enthusiastic participant in the Courtyard project, but she’s also invited Ravasi to be a permanent member of a theological association she founded for the protection of the environment.

tRavasi ended his essay with a familiar quotation from Nietzsche, which serves as a sort of unofficial motto for the Courtyard initiative: “Only a person of deep faith can afford the luxury of skepticism.”
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/ravasi-most-interesting-man-church
(Nietzsche - as in Death of God theology )
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi Rome, Italy, Feb 7, 2011 / 03:26 pm (CNA).- As Paris prepares to host a new forum for dialogue between believers and non-believers, the Vatican official in charge of the initiative sees interest cropping up all over the globe.

The first major "Courtyard of the Gentiles" meeting is due to take place this March 24-25 in the French capital. The Pontifical Council for Culture-promoted program aims to engage leaders of French culture in dialogue on issues of religion, enlightenment and common reason.

Important sites of culture, including the storied Sorbonne University, have been chosen for a series of encounters.
There will also be a moment for young people to meet in a more public "courtyard," the large square outside the Basilica of Notre Dame, to have discussions. Pope Benedict XVI will address the young people in a video message. Inside the basilica, the ecumenical Taize community will be leading a prayer service.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the head of the council for culture, told Vatican Radio Feb. 5 that interest is being generated around the world. The council has heard from a number of cities interested in the possibility of hosting such a forum of their own.

One institution, the University of Bologna, Italy – called the Alma Mater Studiorum – plans to hold a gathering next week, ahead of the Paris event in March. On Feb. 12, the university will bring back the tradition of "disputed questions." Cardinal Ravasi said that this was traditionally an exchange of opinions on a variety of subjects, whereas questions in the coming event will pertain to matters of belief and non-belief.

During the talks, four professors will exchange viewpoints on God while examining law, philosophy, literature and science. Teachings from Pascal, St. Augustine and Nietzsche will be read aloud by another participant in between the academics' remarks.

For the cardinal, there is no limit to the possibilities. He spoke of "crossing the ocean and going to the most remote countries, beginning with the United States, where there has already been interest in Chicago and Washington." http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-looks-to-expand-dialogue-with-non-believers-to-us/

LOL
HE IS YOUR KOOK
Three Possible Popes- President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Ravasi is someone I’ve described as having “the mind of Ratzinger and the heart of Roncalli” – meaning the intellectual chops of Benedict XVI, coupled with the optimism and opening to the world of John XXIII. A Biblical scholar, he served from 1989 to 2007 as prefect of the Ambrosian Library in Milan, where he worked with Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini – although Ravasi was seen as slightly more conservative than Martini, a hero to the church’s progressive wing. Ironically, rumors in Italy suggest Ravasi was set to become the bishop of Assisi in 2005, but was blocked because of allegedly heterodox views on Easter. Benedict XVI effectively resolved those doubts by giving him a major Vatican post, and by making him a cardinal. Ravasi is widely read, in part because he only sleeps about four hours every night. He peppers his talks with literary allusions, ranging from church fathers to Nietzsche, Newton and Lev-Strauss. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2011/05_06/2011_05_04_Allen_ThreePossible.htm