I think you are being quite unfair. As cardinals, they have a duty to preach and to teach. So long as they can credibly argue that they are being faithful to Church doctrine they have every right to speak their minds on issues. That isn't evidence of  "enormously inflated notions of their own importance in God's plan of salvation", it is their duty.  Now if they were silent then that would be evidence of "no regard for the "sheep".