Cardinal Walter Kasper Disses Cardinal Ratzinger

Beliefnet's Paul Wilkes, blogging the conclave from Rome, and NC Reporter's Stacy Meichtry report on German Cardinal Walter Kaspar's sermon today basically firing a shot at those supporting the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the 265th Pope.

“Just as it is forbidden to clone others, it is not possible to clone Pope John Paul II,” Kasper said. “Every pope ministers in his own way, according to the demands of his era. No one was ever simply a copy of his predecessor.”

Wilkes reports the following about Kaspar:

Kasper told an Austrian Catholic paper that Dominus Iesus--the pope’s statement, but which bore Ratzinger’s mark, affirming Catholicism’s supremacy--“offended people. And if my friends are offended (referring to his years of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue) then so am I. It’s an unfortunate affirmation--clumsy and ambiguous.” Clumsy and ambiguous are certainly not casual terms between a cardinal and the Vatican.

In various magazines, such as America in the United States and The Tablet in London, Kasper has repeatedly called for a scaled-down and more temperate church bureaucracy. He has openly supported divorced and civilly remarried Catholics in receiving the Eucharist, something they are currently forbidden under Church law. When Kasper registered his view, Ratzinger rejected this approach and maintained that only those who have received a marriage annulment and therefore are fully in communion with the Church could approach the altar to receive.

Wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, Cardinal. Kaspar is mentioned as a dark horse candidate -- a fact we can gratefully attribute to Pope John Paul's 26-year reign that enabled him to put his stamp on the College of Cardinals.

Comments

[Charlene]

Joe the Rat? What were the cardinals thinking????
We in Canada, (77%) wanted a Pope from the Third World. How disppointing.
Goes to prove the conclave is made up of a bunch of old farts with an overabundance of intellect that far overshadows simple common sense.
78. Well, for sure he won't last long.
I was so angry I thre my rosaries in the garbage and will return to church, when the next group of cardinals comes to their senses.

[Marla Sternburg]

For 2,000 the Church has separated themselves and distinguished themselves from the Jewish People. Perhaps they forgot that the God that they worship is of Israel- the Gospel was brought to them by Jews- they worship a Jewish Messiah- ALL the COVENANTS are of Isreal- the Bible wrns vs changing the times and seasons (ex- Christmas and Easter)- the Baptism is based on the Jewish Mikvah Cleansing- the Eucharist is really a Jewish Ritual that was given at the Last Passover Seder- the Holy Grail- is commonly known by the Jews as their Kaddish Shabbat Cup or Pesach Cup- and is used only on Shabbat and Pesach-not on a Sunday- the day the pagan Europeans worshipped the Sun! The plan of the One New Man was to bring equality to the gentiles WITH THE JEWS to have access to God the Father- the GOD of ISRAEL throughthe Blood of the Messiah of Israel and the Jews= they were supposed to be Fellow ISRAELITES- serving the Lord together in ONE ACCORD. Y'shua kept kosher and kept ALL JEWISH LAWS- and lived His Life as a JEW.He willingly died on the Passover to fulfill Isaiah 53 AND BE OBEDIENT TO THE FATHER.It was the JEWS who proclaimed HIM to be the Messiah and the King of Israel. Y'shua is the GLORY of ISRAEL and the LIGHT to the gentiles. Romans 11 warned the gentile converts NOT to boast vs the Jews who were partially blinded- but rather to be merciful to them. The only way to repare relations between the Jews and Christians is to teach the Truth!!!!!!!

[Younan M. Younan]

I would very much appreciate it if you kinly email me the email address of Cardinal Walter Kasper of Vatican. Cardinal Kasper, I believe, is a very intelegent, wise, and brave person. Thank you for your help.

[lauberd]

Cardinal Kasper is not even a Roman Catholic.