You are right. There are actually 3 voice in that article. The author’s, Smith’s, and Archbishop Nienstedt’s. My quick reading did get the 3 a bit mixed up in terms of what was being advocated by whom.
Yeah, I had to read it a couple times myself try to distinguish who was advocating which position. It seems that we have a bishop who is absolutely correct in his position, being defended by a well-meaning Catholic layperson who MOSTLY gets it, and an apostate who seems to think that Christianity should become just another new age cult.