But then. . . was Difficult burdens. More on the Synod On Synodality.

We ran this yesterday:

Lex Anteinternet: Difficult burdens. More on the Synod On Synodality.: Frankly, if I had my way, which I do not, and will not, on the Synod on Synodality, I'd either cancel it or grossly cut down is topics. ...

The National Catholic Register ran an interview with Archbishop Cardinal-designate Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, incoming prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, whom people seem to think as a liberal.  It was taken from his interview with Crux.

In it, he warns people not to presume to know the Pople's views.

His statements on his own views sran very contrary to the way panicy articles on the blogosphere would tend to suggest they might. For example:

In an interview with InfoVaticana in July you seemed to be open to Church blessings of same-sex couples if they can be carried out without causing confusion. Could you explain more what you meant by this? What sort of confusion were you referring to?

I was referring to confusing a same-sex union with a marriage. At this point it is clear that the Church only understands marriage as an indissoluble union between a man and a woman who, in their differences, are naturally open to beget life. 

And:

What will be your approach to the German Synodal Way? To what extent do you think your openness to same-sex blessings and your expressed desire to foster a softer approach to heretical theologians or positions might help the German situation? 

The German Church has serious problems and obviously has to think about a new evangelization. On the other hand, today it does not have theologians on the level of those who were so impressive in the past. The risk of the Synodal Way lies in believing that by enabling some progressive novelties, the Church in Germany will flourish. This is not what Pope Francis — who emphasized a renewed missionary outreach focused on the proclamation of the Kerygma: the infinite love of God manifested in the crucified and risen Christ — would propose. 

I don’t know why some of your colleagues identify me with the German way, which I still know little about. Look, my most famous book is called Los Cinco Minutos del Espiritu Santo (The 5 Minutes of the Holy Spirit) and contains a daily meditation on the Holy Spirit that has sold 150,000 copies. Did you know that? 

On the other hand, I was a parish priest and I was also a diocesan bishop. Go and ask the faithful in my parish what I did when I was parish priest, and you will see: Eucharistic adoration, catechism courses, Bible courses, home missions with Our Lady and a prayer to bless the home. I had 10 prayer groups and 130 young people. 

As diocesan bishop I used to ask people about what I’d discuss in my homilies in the cathedral and in my visits to the parishes: about Christ, about prayer, about the Holy Spirit, about Mary, about sanctification. And last year I proposed to the whole Archdiocese to concentrate on “growing together towards holiness.” Whatever some of your colleagues may say, that was my formula for dealing with the religious indifference of society. Like the Pope, I believe that without mysticism we will go nowhere.

Not exactly the sort of super liberal opinions that some would suggest everyone close to the Pope harbors.