Kasper and Fellay; "The Bishops Themselves"; Preparing for Portugal

My apologies for absence. Explanations would be complicated and time consuming. Please forgive me.

To my mind Cardinal Kasper and Bishop Fellay personify extremes of the Holy Father's most difficult problem within the Church. Cardinal Kasper has recently given a press conference in Paris and Bishop Fellay has written to his supporters in the SPPX. I cannot agree with the bishop's critical remarks about the Pope having visited the Synagogue and the Lutheran community in Rome, but at least his letter was an internal affair, whereas the Cardinal's statements were deliberately public on the doorstep of another cardinal who dislikes the fact that the SSPX is so strong in France. We know the talks are difficult, but Cardinal Kasper is not involved in them. Speaking as he did just makes them more difficult. I'm sorry, but I must say that I do not trust his possible motives. Believe you me the previous sentence is the mildest expression I can manage of very much stronger feelings.

I am still fretting about bishops generally so I was glad this morning to read Jeff Mirus on the sixth document of Vatican II - 'Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops'. Chapter 2 is entitled 'The Bishops Themselves" and here you can read what Vatican II thought they should be and do to satisfactorily fulfil their office. My own reading made me feel better about Vatican II, but I'm afraid, worse about some of our bishops. For example, "Bishops must guard Church Doctrine, teaching the faithful to defend and propagate it."

Preparing for Portugal
Turning to the immediate future, John Allen has an excellently helpful piece on Portugal and what we may expect the Holy Father to do and say whilst he's in the country next week.