"For Francis, a resounding defeat: Traditionalists have won a huge victory." | "Even in 2015, it's hard for Francis to go much beyond this without risking schism."

Professor Odon Vallet is an expert in the history of religions and civilizations and, since he is deemed a strong and radical "Progressive", he is a favorite in the French media to speak as a secular-friendly voice on Catholic issues.

He was interviewed by popular daily "20 Minutes" on the results of the 2014 assembly of the Synod of Bishops:

Yes, Kasper did give the interview with racist remarks on Africa and Africans - and here is the audio to prove it

For some reason, Zenit removed the text of the interview by Walter Kasper, filled with Anti-African, xenophobic, and racist comments. The interviewer, Edward Pentin, made public the following statement:

In response to a statement from His Eminence Cardinal Kasper denying giving the interview that appeared in ZENIT Wednesday 15th October, I issue the following response:

His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke to me and two other journalists, one British, the other French, around 7.15pm on Tuesday as he left the Synod hall.

"Synod Fathers under intense pressure from the Kasper Front to modify their views - or else"

It seems Walter Kasper's racist remarks on Africa and Africans have caused an understandable shock wave throughout the assembly. They reflect a racist, xenophobic, and anti-African mindset that has removed the Church in Africa from any participation in the Synodal administration and governance, or in the committee formed to help draft the final relatio.

Other than that, Synod Fathers are being strongly pressured by the allies of the racist German cardinal, who are in the minority, to modify as little as possible the partial relatio: as Tosatti explains below, that was one of the main reasons why the racist manipulators did not want the addresses of the first week made public, they can now pressure the more fearful bishops to take 180-degree turns on what they said, and they can do it without losing face. Tosatti is too gentle to say exactly what kind of pressure is being applied, but we can be sure that, as they always do, the "Progressive Legion" have no scruples whatsoever in accomplishing what they deem necessary: they not only offer compensations to those who are weak for career "promotions", but they threaten, they blackmail, they shame, they lie, they deceive, they discriminate, they set continent against continent, nation against nation, cardinal against cardinal, bishop against bishop, they will go to the utmost consequences (even those we may consider absolutely unthinkable, and those we cannot even imagine) -- they are capable of absolutely anything, as long as they manage to accomplish their end: the birth of their "New Church of Worldliness".

Synod, time for pressure

MARCO TOSATTI

[Senior Religious daily for Italian daily] La Stampa

October 16, 2014