Fessio v. Kasper

Cardinal Kasper wants to have his cake and eat it too, is Father Joseph Fessio’s take on his response to other cardinals’ publicly challenging his public comments on marriage. they did so in, among other places, a book published by Ignatius Press, which Father Fessio founded, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church.

Writing CNA in response to an interview the cardinal held with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Father Fessio does not find the cardinal’s complaints persuasive.

In the interview, Cardinal Kasper complained of learning about the book from journalists who had received advance copies of it. The cardinal said that he had not received an advance copy, adding, “In my entire academic life nothing like this has ever happened to me.”

“You chose to leave academia to enter public life. Get used to it,” Fr. Fessio responded.

The priest also referenced Cardinal Kasper’s statement, “If cardinals who are the closest collaborators of the pope intervene in this organized and public manner, at least in regard to the most recent history of the Church we are facing an unprecedented situation.”

“Well, you did something unprecedented,” Fr. Fession replied. “And it was organized and public. Well, it was supposed to be done in secrecy, but then you published your consistory intervention as a book.”

Furthermore, Fr. Fessio responded to Cardinal Kasper’s statement that his consistory remarks had not offered “a definitive solution” but rather “posed some questions and offered considerations for possible responses.”

“Well, what are you complaining about then?” Fr. Fessio asked. “You got some answers and some responses to your considerations. Or weren’t those the answers you were expecting?”

A little grumpy, perhaps, but fair. It is not uncommon for public figures to get upset when they find other people playing by the same rules they had played by. But what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.