Who is Cardinal Kasper?

A Closer Look at the Cardinal Publicly Praised by Pope Francis in His First Angelus Address

In his first Angelus address given on March 17, Pope Francis made the rare papal act of publicly citing and praising a fellow cardinal:

In these days, I have been able to read a book by a cardinal—Cardinal Kasper, a talented theologian, a good theologian—on mercy. And it did me such good, that book, but don't think that I'm publicizing the books of my cardinals. That is not the case! But it did me such good, so much good...

The first angelus address of the pope was an important occasion - it was the first scheduled appearance and public address of the pope in St. Peter’s Square since the night of his election. To publicly cite, praise and acknowledge Cardinal Kasper in his first official angelus address indicates to us that Kasper is obviously a very important man for the new pope - a “talented theologian”, as he says.

Who is Cardinal Walter Kasper - this Cardinal whom the pope greatly respects?

This article is not your ordinary, bland profile of a cardinal. As you will see in the next few pages, there is more than meets the eye in this Kasper-Pope Francis connection. It is important that we understand this connection, since it will have a defining impact on the papacy and the future direction of the Catholic Church.