Speaking in an interview on EWTN, the cardinal asserted that there is "no proof" of any wrongdoing and accused his detractors of attempting to tarnish his reputation.

"They have no arguments against my ideology and therefore they want to disavow or make defamation of my person" Müller said on "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo".

The allegations, which surfaced in a report by Catholic website The Pillar, claim that significant sums of money were mishandled during Müller's time at the CDF. They include accusations of large cash movements and the deposit of 200,000 euros into the cardinal's personal accounts.

"No money missing"

The accusations of financial impropriety reportedly influenced Pope Francis's decision not to renew Müller's appointment in 2017. However, the cardinal vehemently denied these claims, stating that all funds were properly managed and there were no irregularities.

Müller said these claims date back to "nine years ago" but that there was "no money missing" and that everything "was clarified with Cardinal [George] Pell" who led the Secretariat for the Economy at the time.

"There were no accusations against myself" Müller stated. He clarified that the account referenced was used for the congregation's mission and was not for personal use, with all transactions fully documented.

Addressing the timing of the allegations, Müller suggested they may be linked to the upcoming Synod on Synodality. He has been critical of some of the attendees for using it as an avenue to promote homosexuality and the ordination of women and advance other ideas contrary to Church doctrine.

He described the accusations as an "anonymous strategy" designed to discredit him as a participant in the synod.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

The Pillar

The investigation, initiated by the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy under Cardinal George Pell, revealed that large sums of cash and unclear money transfers were linked to Müller's office.

Sources within the Vatican stated that around 200,000 euros intended for the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's (CDF) account were found in Müller's private account.

The findings were presented in 2015 to Pope Francis who requested Müller to return the funds. No further sanctions were imposed. However Müller's term was not renewed, due reportedly to the mishandling of finances during his leadership.

The investigation began when Vatican officials discovered that several departments were storing large amounts of undocumented cash.

Random checks were ordered, revealing attempts by employees of the CDF to remove plastic bags filled with cash.

"Here we were counting out thousands, thousands of euros in cash, in the office [of the CDF] which they were trying to move out the back door in plastic bags" an official said.

"It was just surreal."

Clerical error

This prompted a thorough financial investigation in the autumn of 2015. It uncovered over half a million euros which were embezzled, undocumented or otherwise unaccounted for. Other significant amounts were found in cash or in external bank accounts.

Müller attributed the transfer of 200,000 euros to his private account to a clerical error.

"It is hard to see how any kind of credible accounting process could allow for hundreds of thousands of euros to go unaccounted [for], or for hundreds of thousands to be deposited in the wrong accounts and have no one notice [until there was an external investigation" the official told The Pillar.

There is no evidence suggesting Müller intended to use the money for personal ends. However, panic within the DDF offices following the announcement of the checks likely led to the hasty cash removal.

"I don't think Cardinal Müller was looking to get rich from the dicastery" a source close to the secretariat said, "but I think the aim was to get all the cash, and it was a lot of cash, out of the office and out of sight."

Müller has yet to respond to inquiries from "The Pillar".

Read More

The Pillar

Katholisch

CathNews New Zealand

The sculpture was scheduled to be exhibited for several weeks in St Mary's Cathedral in Linz, Austria.

"The intolerance, backwardness and lack of enlightenment in the Catholic Church is frightening" says Theresa Limberger. She spent 200 hours carving the figure which is based on a concept of Austrian artist Esther Strauss.

Aggression and intolerance

The sculpture of Our Lady was displayed at the cathedral as part of the DonnaStage art installation project on women's roles, family images and gender equality, the Linz Diocese said in a statement.

A guest book at the exhibition records visitors' strong feelings about the sculpture.

"There were definitely a lot of verbally aggressive and disturbing notes" says Martina Resch, co-initiator of the project.

"I was prepared for verbal statements. However, I would not have expected that the work with which I spent so much time would be destroyed" Limberger says.

Controversial idea

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former prefect of what is now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, is concerned about the controversy.

"If a pictorial representation of the birth of Jesus causes offence among the faithful and causes division in the church, the aim of Christian and especially sacred art has been missed" he says.

Alexander Tschugguel praises Müller. He is an Austrian traditionalist Catholic responsible for the so-called "Pachamama" act of vandalism during the Vatican's 2019 Amazon synod.

"I am happy that Cardinal Müller again defends the Church and especially our Lady!" he says.

Regardless of what people think, beheading the sculpture was wrong says Father Johann Hintermaier, the episcopal vicar for education, art and culture in the Linz Diocese.

"We were aware that we were also provoking debate with this installation.

"If we have hurt people's religious feelings we are sorry, but I strongly condemn this violent act of destruction, the refusal to engage in dialogue and the attack on the freedom of art" he wrote in a diocesan statement.

He says Strauss also condemned the attack.

"Most portraits of the Virgin Mary were made by men and have therefore often served patriarchal interests" Strauss said.

Her artwork gives Our Lady her body back, she added.

Resch, a theologian, said in the diocesan statement that the sculpture "is a very poetic work that shows the natural birth of Jesus. Mary is shown in her vulnerability but also in her strength".

She said that from a theological perspective "the work is a strong affirmation of God's incarnation". The statement added that she was deeply affected by the "brutality towards the female figure".

Source

• NCR
• The Guardian

"This is like Nazi Germany" Müller said, according to a blog post by author Rod Dreher.

Müller added that the authorities were acting "like the SA" — Hitler's brownshirts who used violence and intimidation against opponents.

Despite protests and police blockades at the entrances, the National Conservatism conference was earlier allowed to continue.

However, Mayor Emir Kir issued an order to halt the April 16-17 conference.

In a statement, Mayor Kir cited concerns over the conference's conservative stance on issues such as abortion and same-sex unions.

"Among these personalities are several participants, particularly from the right-wing conservative, religious right and the European far right" his statement reads. And: "The extreme right is not welcome".

Belgium's highest court later overturned the decision to shut down the conference, allowing it to continue.

Freedom of expression

The conference, organised by the Edmund Burke Foundation, aims to advocate for conservatism intertwined with national identity and traditions.

The organisers said around 600 participants were expected to attend the event.

Among the notable speakers were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Brexit proponent Nigel Farage and German aristocrat Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis.

The event has been held in various capitals including Rome, London and Washington DC since its founding in 2019.

Nigel Farage, the controversial British politician, called the attempted shutdown "a disgrace" and accused the EU of becoming the "new form of communism".

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also condemned the attempted shutdown. He asserted the "ban on political assemblies is unconstitutional".

"Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it can never override the Belgian constitution which has guaranteed freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly since 1830″ concluded De Croo.

Belgian lawyer Wouter Vaassen who represents ADF International, a Christian legal group that opposes threats to religious liberty, called the attempt to shut down the controversial conference "unjust". He said it "should never have happened, especially in Brussels—the political heart of Europe".

"We must diligently protect our fundamental freedoms lest censorship become the norm in our supposedly free societies" he added.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Katholisch

Catholic Herald

The declaration allows Catholic priests to bless couples - including same-sex couples - who according to church teaching may not marry.

The Church needs to return "to the clarity of the word of God" rather than "bowing down to this absolutely wrong LGBT and woke ideology" Müller says.

Müller, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, says in his view there was "no need" for the declaration.

People in same-sex relationships are "not brought to the Church by relativising the truth and cheapening grace, but by the unadulterated Gospel of Christ" he says.

He believes as a consequence of Fiducia "nobody is speaking about the blessing of marriage, of children, of the family" which is "our duty" and "not to divide the Church".

Pope Francis explains

Pope Francis spoke of Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on Wednesday.

"Nobody is scandalised if I give a blessing to a businessman who may be exploiting people, and that is a very serious sin" he said.

"Whereas they are scandalised if I give it to a homosexual. This is hypocrisy!"

He also blesses everyone in the confessional. "I don't bless a ‘homosexual marriage', I bless two people who love each other."

Francis says blessing irregular relationships should be spontaneous, non-liturgical, and should not require moral perfection. The aim is to bless individuals, not their unions.

Confusion reigns

Given the Church already permits individual blessings, Müller says there was no need for Fiducia.

There is no clear explanation of the difference between a liturgical and the private benediction. Müller says there's a nebulous connotation instead of saying what is absolutely clear in the Gospel.

Even if the declaration were needed to stop the Church in Germany, in particular from offering liturgical same-sex blessings, Müller doesn't agree with them.

"We must say the truth: If I preach the Gospel, I am under the judgment of the Gospel. The preacher himself must be a model of all."

Nor is the declaration necessary to reach people wounded by the tragic consequences of the sex revolution to bring them back to the Church, he says.

They're not brought to the Church by relativising the truth and cheapening grace, but by the unadulterated Gospel of Christ, he says.

He also considers the declaration does not mention the sin of sexual relations outside marriage, same-sex acts, the importance of repentance and firm purpose of amendment, or exhorting the person to come to Christ.

What is needed is a real turning away from sin and a full conversion to the Lord, he says.

"Go back to the clarity of the word of God and what is said in the Catechism, and not this bowing down to this absolutely wrong LGBT and woke ideology.

"That is not modern, that is a falling back to the old paganism."

Source

• National Catholic Reporter

His action on Saturday follows an Apostolic Visitation of the Diocese and Strickland's refusal to resign when the Pope offered him the chance to do so gracefully.

The Vatican initiated an Apostolic Visitation of the Diocese, led by two bishops, to thoroughly investigate Strickland's governance and leadership.

Their report concluded that Strickland's continuing role was untenable, leading to a recommendation for his resignation.

Despite being presented with this option on November 9, Strickland refused, resulting in his removal by Pope Francis on November 11.

This decision is seen as a significant and rare step by the Vatican, especially given that Strickland, at 65, is still ten years away from the usual retirement age for bishops.

The Vatican's announcement did not provide specific reasons for his dismissal.

Using social media to attack Pope Francis

Known for his active social media presence, Strickland has more than 120,000 followers on Twitter, surpassing the number of Catholics in his diocese.

His recent posts have been contentious, almost goading Pope Francis to act. The Tweets include:

• calling Francis' Synodality initiative "garbage"
• inviting Francis to fire him
• endorsing a controversial video that claimed you cannot be a Catholic and be a Democrat
• questioning the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines
• endorsing a video that called Francis a "diabolically disoriented clown" and
• accusing the pope of "undermining the Deposit of Faith

In a tweet from May 13, Strickland stated "I believe Pope Francis is the Pope, but it is time for me to say that I reject his programme of undermining the Deposit of Faith. Follow Jesus."

This outspoken stance has been described by Massimo Faggioli as "the strangest behaviour by a bishop" in the social media era. Faggioli is a respected theologian and church historian at Villanova University.

Strickland responds to removal

The Tyler Diocesan office was not available for comment over the weekend.

However, the conservative website LifeSiteNews reported an interview with the former diocesan bishop on Saturday.

According to the website, Strickland believes his dismissal was due partly to his refusal to enforce Francis' 2021 restrictions on the old Latin Mass.

"I can't starve out part of my flock" he remarked, expressing his peace "in the Lord and the truth that He died for."

In an email to The Wall Street Journal, Strickland wrote that he is saddened for the harm to the faithful but at peace in His Truth.

Asked about his plans, he replied, "Just praying for now."

Bishop Strickland greets children on first day of school

Catholic community responds

Strickland's removal has provoked anger among some conservative Catholics.

Francis is "actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ" says Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant

Matt is labelling the situation as "total war".

Also disappointed is former Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Head, Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

In Rorate Caeli, Müller calls Strickland's sacking "an abuse of the divine right of the episcopate".

The former Vatican authority figure, says dioceses are established by Christ himself, and the Pope has no authority from Christ to intimidate and bully good bishops.

Müller says that a bishop can be removed only if he has done something evil, such as blessing people of the opposite sex or people in extramarital relationships.

Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin has been appointed as the apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Tyler until a new bishop is named.

Sources

• Reuters
• AP
• Catholic Culture
• X - Josh McElwee
• NCR
• RNS
• CNA
• Rorate Caeli

Cardinal Gerard L. Müller's assessment of the Synod on Synodality, which has just ended, is extremely worrying.

The Daily Compass meets the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the sidelines of the Rome Life Forum, a two-day event organised by LifeSiteNews, where he was a key speaker.

Even from the stage, Cardinal Müller warned that it is pure illusion to think of "modernising the truth of the Gospel with the help of relativistic philosophies or ideologically corrupt anthropologies.

Just look at the local realities where this progressive theology prevails: empty seminaries, the disappearance of monastic life, the abandonment of the faithful.

In Germany, for example, 13 million Catholics have been lost in 50 years, from 33 million in 1968 to 20 million in 2023′.

And, to the Daily Compass, he reiterates:

"The aim of this Synod was to change the hierarchical structure of the Church, taking the Anglican or Protestant Church as a model, but what we see is that synodality destroys collegiality.

Your Eminence, what do you mean by a change in the structure of the Church?

Simply that when the Pope called the laity to participate, he changed the nature of the Synod, which was born instead as an expression of the collegiality of all the bishops with the Pope.

It is not only the Pope who governs the Church, as some admirers of Pope Francis would have it today, but the local bishops also have responsibility for the whole Church. This is why Paul VI, implementing the Second Vatican Council, created the synod.

For some, increasing the role of the laity seems like a simple reform...

...In reality, it ignores the sacrament of Holy Orders, which is not just a function of service, but a direct, special institution of Jesus Christ.

He established the Church with its hierarchy.

Appealing to the universal priesthood of all the faithful is in this case, a way of denying this structure willed by Christ. All the faithful have received the Holy Spirit, but the bishops have received the consecration to govern and sanctify the Church.

If you want to talk to the laity, it's all very well, but there are other instruments, for example the International Theological Commission.

Or you can create other ad hoc institutions, it's not a problem, but the Synod has a different nature and the Pope cannot change the sacramental structure of the Church. You cannot give episcopal authority to someone who is not a bishop.

Is that why you criticised the fact that the Bishops did not wear the cassock during the Synod?

The question of the cassock may seem to be an insignificant detail, but it points to the position I expressed earlier.

Comfort is not a criterion: when I go to a wedding, I don't go dressed as if I were going to the beach; it would be more comfortable, but not appropriate to the circumstances.

A synod, like a council, is a liturgy, a worship of God, not just a meeting. So even the dress says what the Synod has become, a torrent of chatter.

Considering the theme was synodality, what was actually discussed?

After so many discussions, nobody really knows what synodality is.

There was so much talk, there were "moderators" at the tables, who gave the topics day by day by asking questions, but the debate was also very rigid, the time for interventions was limited to three minutes and everything was recorded.

Each participant had a monitor in front of them and every contribution was recorded, even on video.

Then there was this constant 'we have to listen to each other', nobody wanted to play the role of 'troublemaker', in short, there was a taming.

And also for the plenary, many bishops were disappointed, they complained about the low level of the interventions; and then you cannot deal with theological issues with emotions.

Can you give an example?

A testimony comes in, a woman speaks of someone close to her who committed suicide because she was bisexual, and she says that the parish priest had condemned her because of her bisexuality.

And immediately afterwards there's another intervention: you see, it is proof that the Church must change its doctrine. In short, in the end, it is the fault of the Church's doctrine, that is, of God who created man and woman.

How do you deal with issues like that?

Now, the LGBT people are setting themselves up as the true interpreters of the Word of God, but they convey a perverse, false anthropology: they are not interested in individuals, in their salvation, but they instrumentalise people with problems to assert their ideology.

They want to destroy the family and marriage.

In this regard, you have already stated that in the end this Synod only wanted to promote the LGBT agenda and the female diaconate. What gave this impression?

Because much was said about this and very little about the essential themes of the faith, that is, the Incarnation, salvation, redemption, justification, sin, grace, human nature, the ultimate goal of man, the Trinitarian and Eucharistic dimension of the Church , vocations, education.

These are the real challenges, as is the spread of great violence, of those who justify it in the name of God, like the Muslim fundamentalists. Of this nothing, instead so many speeches on homosexuality, and all one-sided.

Besides, look at the guests...

Exactly. Why weren't people invited who were practicing homosexuals and then rediscovered their heterosexuality, and who have written books about their experiences, such as Daniel Mattson (author of Why I Don't Call Myself Gay. How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace , Cantagalli 2018, ed.)?

There was Father James Martin, he was only there to spread propaganda.

He never spoke of grace and salvation for these people, only that "the Church must accept, the Church must..., must..., must..."

But how can the Bride of Christ be the object of our invectives?

It is not the Church that needs to change, it is we who need to be converted. Continue reading

• Riccardo Cascioli is founder and Editor in Chief of the Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, The Daily Compass and La Brújula Cotidiana.

At the heart of Müller's concerns lies the worry that some changes, in his view, conflict with established Scripture and Tradition.

Müller specifically cited the potential acceptance of homosexuality, the ordination of women as priests and a fundamental shift in Church governance as developments that raise serious questions.

Another significant concern he raised was the lack of freedom for bishops to express their views.

The synodal meeting, as he described it, appeared to be tightly controlled and manipulated.

A small group of keynote speakers dominated the discussions, leaving little room for a more diverse range of theological perspectives.

"In the former synods, all the bishops in the plenary could speak about what they wanted.

"Now everything is led, it is pre-organised and it is difficult to speak in the plenary because only a short time is given and, according to the rules, you can speak only once, and only for three minutes", complained Müller.

Lack of theological discussions

Furthermore, while there was an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit throughout the synod.

Müller argued that it seemed as if the voices of the Holy Spirit were represented solely by those who were invited to speak.

This approach, he suggested, did not allow for the valuable insights of bishops who possessed a deep understanding of theology.

Müller also lamented the lack of profound theological discussions during the synod.

He noted a shift away from focusing on Jesus Christ and divine Revelation, which he deemed vital components of any theological dialogue within the Church.

One notable point of contention was the canonical legitimacy of the Vatican Synod.

The cardinal questioned whether it could truly be considered a Synod of Bishops when the laity was granted voting rights.

This was a significant departure from the traditional model, which, he argued, made it more akin to an Anglican-style synodal meeting.

Sources

National Catholic Register

CathNews New Zealand

The clarification followed a recent interview given by German Cardinal Gerhard Müller to EWTN, raising questions about Pope Francis's call for a media 'fast'.

Italian layman Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications, addressed journalists during an October 6 press briefing.

"It's an assembly of brothers and sisters who have been given this time" to pray and reflect together, "then there is personal discernment in all of this.

"We are not speaking of punishment or not, but a personal discernment the pope asked of the members, and the discernment is left to each individual person," Ruffini said.

The Synod, titled "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission" opened on October 4 and is set to run until October 29. It is part of a multi-year process initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021, culminating in a second discussion in October 2024.

"Fast" from publicity

Pope Francis had urged the 464 participants to refrain from media engagement to prioritise listening and maintain a certain "fast" from publicity.

"A certain asceticism" is needed for the synod, the pope said. He asked forgiveness from journalists trying to cover the month-long meeting.

Still, Pope Francis insisted "a certain fasting from public words" would be needed to ensure the proper spiritual atmosphere for the synod members.

While there would be no punishment for breaking pontifical secrecy, the guidelines for the synod stressed the importance of confidentiality and discretion among participants throughout the gathering.

Ruffini provided insight into the discussions, mentioning topics such as seminary formation, the role of the laity and women, the liturgy, welcoming the marginalised, and prioritising the poor.

The role and status of young people, women's participation and clericalism were also discussed.

Participants called for greater co-responsibility between pastors and the people, addressing clerical abuse and emphasising that the church is not just for the perfect but for all, especially those on the margins.

Synodality itself was a topic of discussion, with calls for active collaboration between pastors and the people.

Sources

CruxNow

UCA News

Catholic New Agency

CathNews New Zealand

But one delegate, German cardinal Gerhard Müller, immediately defied the pontiff's request.

Müller, a former head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, is known as a vocal critic of Francis's synod on synodality.

During an Eternal Word Television Network's (EWTN) nightly news programme, the German cardinal presented a more positive attitude, however.

When the interviewer asked him if he was still concerned about the synod being a "hostile takeover" of the Church as he had previously commented, Müller spoke of "a certain form of optimism" and good conversation.

"... but at the end we must wait in what direction it will go and what will be the decisions behind the scenery. That is always the problem," he said.

Müller went on to criticise a fellow delegate - his successor in the Vatican's doctrinal office, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.

Müller said Fernández had erred when speaking in a recent interview about Francis's "magisterium".

"That doesn't exist," Müller said. "The pope does not have his own doctrine.

"Surely the pope has a special authority in the church according to our Catholic Church, but he is not a person who receives a new revelation."

Vatican media caution

Müller's EWTN interview came one day after the Vatican published its formal set of conduct rules (regolamento) for synod members.

These stated that delegates are bound by "confidentiality and discretion regarding both their own interventions and the interventions of other participants."

In an October 5 press briefing, the head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communications said synod delegates were encouraged to "take time to discern, take time to listen to each other" rather than speaking to the press about the proceedings.

During his opening remarks on October 4, the Pope also told the 450-plus synod participants to abstain from media interviews.

Past synods have been reduced to one or two hot button issues, he said.

He noted that in anticipation of this synod he had seen press coverage focus on the possibility that the Catholic Church might ordain women as priests.

This synod's rules mark a departure from procedures used at four synods Francis has hosted in the past.

During those gatherings, participants were largely free to give interviews to members of the press.

They were also frequently invited to take part in daily press briefings the synod office had organised. This enabled delegates to give interviews from firsthand experience about their experiences of the synod process.

NCR newspaper claims "multiple sources" say Müller did not attend the September 30 - October 3 spiritual retreat for synod delegates.

Source

• NCR Online

In a candid interview with Spanish Catholic news website InfoVaticana, Müller (pictured) also expressed his concern about the current state of the Church.

The interview follows the Vatican's recent announcement that journalists will have access only to information provided by the Synod participants.

Cardinal Müller, one of 400 participants set to attend the Synod on synodality, expressed his hope that the Synod would benefit the Church rather than harm it.

"I pray that all this will be a blessing and not a harm to the Church. I am also committed to theological clarity so that a Church gathered around Christ doesn't become a political dance around the golden calf of the agnostic spirit of the age."

More harm than good

Regarding the Vatican's decision to limit journalists' access to the Synod's proceedings, Cardinal Müller acknowledged the potential for the propagation of harmful agendas in such a closed environment.

He expressed concerns about certain factions within the Church attempting to shift its focus away from Christ and salvation.

"I don't know the intention behind this measure, but 450 participants will certainly not keep things under wraps.

"Many will exploit journalists for their own benefit or vice versa.

"This is the great hour of manipulation, of propaganda of an agenda that does more harm than good to the Church."

No one can change the Word of God

Cardinal Müller strongly defended the Church's core teachings, stating that no one on Earth can change the Word of God.

He emphasised that the Pope and bishops are tasked with preserving and faithfully interpreting the Church's sacred teachings.

"No one on earth can change, add to, or take away from the Word of God. As successors of the apostles, the Pope and the bishops must teach the people what the earthly and Risen Christ, the only Teacher, has commanded them to do…"

Sources

Catholic Herald

CathNews New Zealand

He has again started off the month with a bang by naming Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández of La Plata (Argentina) as the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

Fernández, (pictured) who will be 61 in July, has been one of Francis' most trusted theological advisors and ghostwriters, going back to the days when the pope was still the cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires.

He closely collaborated with then-Cardinal Bergoglio in writing the final document at the 2007 conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) in Aparecida.

A former president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, "Tucho" - as he is familiarly called - is also understood to have been the principal author of Evangelii gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel), the apostolic exhortation that is the programmatic document of Francis' pontificate.

Traditionalists sure to be angry

Fernández replaces Cardinal Luis Ladaria, the 79-year-old Spanish Jesuit who has been prefect since 2017.

The Argentine theologian also becomes the president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and head of the International Theological Commission.

By bringing Fernández to Rome, the pope now has another key ally in one of the most important Vatican offices. This should greatly boost the 86-year-old Francis in helping clear internal opposition to his ecclesial reforms.

But the appointment of the new DDF prefect is also certain to infuriate Catholics who are not in agreement with the pope's vision of the Church.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in May 2015 Archbishop Fernández raised the ire of traditionalists when he said the People of God would not tolerate any attempts by a future pope to reverse the changes Francis has already brought to the Church.

Immediately afterwards, Sandro Magister, a veteran Italian journalist who has been one of the vaticanisti most critical of the current pontificate, belittled Fernández' qualifications as a serious theologian. He egregiously mocked him for stating - correctly, by the way - that the Roman Curia was not an "essential part of the Church's mission" and that "cardinals could disappear", too.

Magister claimed the archbishop had signed his own death warrant by taking on the curia and specifically for criticising Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who was still prefect of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It now seems ironic that it was exactly six years ago to the day from Fernández's appointment when Francis dropped another July bombshell by refusing to renew Müller for another five years as prefect.

The German, who was only 69 years old and still six years from retirement, has held no other post since Francis dismissed him in 2017.

"To promote and encourage, not to condemn"

In announcing Fernández's appointment, the Holy See Press Office released an unusually long curriculum vita for the new doctrinal chief.

And even more unusually, it published his full bibliography of books, essays and articles. In addition, it made public a personal letter Pope Francis wrote to his fellow Argentine, in which he urges the new DDF prefect to help promote the faith rather than condemn heresies.

"The dicastery over which you will preside used immoral methods in former times. They were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, it persecuted possible doctrinal errors," the pope says.

"What I expect from you is without a doubt something very different," the pope adds, in a letter that quotes Evangelii gaudium extensively.

Francis goes on to praise Fernández for his theological and pastoral experience, saying he's confident the new prefect is "very capable of bringing theological knowledge into dialogue with the life of the holy People of God".

While pointing out that the DDF also has the task dealing with the most serious clergy sex abuse cases, the pope says the main task of the doctrinal office is to "guard the faith" and "become an instrument of evangelization" that helps the Church "enter into conversation with the people of the world in a context that is unprecedented for the history of humanity".

"Hacer lío!": dropping bombshells

Francis urges the new DDF prefect to promote a theology that "convincingly" presents God as "the God who loves, who forgives, who saves, who liberates, who promotes people and summons them to fraternal service".

Pope Francis loves to tell young people: "Hacer lío!", a Spanish phrase that can mean anything from "shake things up" to "make a mess". And the appointment of Victor Manuel Fernández is certainly part of his own penchant for dropping bombshells in the month of July.

It all began in his first months as Bishop of Rome when - on July 1, 2013 - the Holy See Press Office announced he would be flying a week later down to Lampedusa.

Lampedusa is the island off of Sicily that had become emblematic of the unfolding crisis of African migrants and refugees, many who were perishing at sea in an attempt to reach Europe. The July 8th visit would set the tone for the rest of the pontificate.

But three days before leaving on that dramatic day trip, Francis did something else that shocked some Catholics but delighted many others.

He approved the canonization of John Paul II and the beatification of Alvaro de Portillo, the second prelate of Opus Dei.

Halting the Old Latin Mass

Who can forget the surprise announcement on July 4, 2021 that the Jesuit pope had been taken to Gemelli Hospital and that same Sunday afternoon underwent the first of now two abdominal surgeries?

But the real bombshell came a week after he returned from his hospitalization. That's when released his "motu proprio" Traditionis custodes. This effectively overturned Summorum Pontificum, the "motu proprio" Benedict XVI issued in 2007 to allow for an unfettered celebration and promotion of pre-Vatican II Mass.

The following year - on July 13, 2022 - Francis dropped another bombshell by appointing three women to be members - members, not mere consultants - of one of the most important Vatican offices, the Dicastery for Bishops. This was the second shock in as many years for Catholic traditionalists.

Sacking two cardinals

On July 27, 2018 the Vatican announced that the pope had accepted Theodore McCarrick's resignation from the College of Cardinals.

Francis actually forced McCarrick to resign after the former archbishop of Washington had been credibly accused of sexually abusing adolescents and seminarians. The pope also forced him out of active ministry and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penance. McCarrick was eventually removed from the clerical state altogether.

And, of course, there was the previously-mentioned announcement on July 1, 2017 that Francis had decided Cardinal Gerhard Müller would not be extended as the Vatican's doctrinal chief.

It could not be foreseen back then that Francis would eventually give the post to his Argentine friend and theological aide. Yes, this is certainly another bombshell. But don't think for even one moment that it will be the last.

• Robert Mickens is the La Croix International Editor. Each week he publishes the Letter from Rome, unravelling the issues and policies that are alive in the Vatican and within the Church.
• First published in La Croix International. Republished with permission.

One comment was that Pope Francis should correct and, if necessary, punish some German bishops.

Müller was referring to those who have approved "heretical texts" and "proposals directly against the Catholic faith". These proposals include offering church blessings to homosexual couples.

"I think there should be a canonical process" [against them], he claimed.

"Collegiality exists, but there is also the primacy [of the pope], and canonically the pope has the responsibility to ask for an explanation, to correct and — in extreme cases — to dismiss bishops for doctrinal questions.

"They say the understanding of doctrine can develop, but we cannot develop revelation."

God can't bless two persons of the same sex who love each other with fidelity, he said.

"To bless homosexual couples is blasphemy."

James Martin SJ, whose pastoral ministry to LGBT persons also copped Müller's disapproval.

Müller thinks Francis - well known for supporting LGBT people - should tell Martin not to "instrumentalise" him.

Another topic was the Petrine ministry.

Müller agrees with Francis on this matter - that the Petrine ministry is "for life".

He remarked that earlier in his pontificate Francis agreed with Benedict XVI and said he had "opened the door" to popes resigning.

The war in Russia and the role religion is playing was another hot topic.

Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is a good theologian, Müller said.

"But it is not possible to justify this war [against Ukraine] with the words of Jesus, as Putin has done. Furthermore, the idea of the Great Russia is absurd."

Kirill should criticise Russian president Vladimir Putin, the cardinal said - "but that would be his end".

Orthodox bishops in Russia have been subject to the state since Peter the Great, Müller noted. But we must not justify evil, he added.

He said Francis "is right to maintain contacts" with Russia "in this difficult moment," but "the position of the church is not to justify what the emperors do".

Asked why in the past he had criticised Francis for sometimes causing doctrinal "confusion" Müller said, "Francis ... cannot change, revealed doctrine, but the task of the Supreme Pontiff is not only to avoid causing confusion but also to deny such [things]".

As to whether he thinks some popes who are saints today may have given up on holiness to some degree when it came to governing the church, Müller said:

"I cannot judge those who have been already canonised because that is an act of infallibility, but the fame of sanctity comes from the people not from ecclesiastical authority."

Despite saying he wouldn't criticise the pope, Müller seems to disagree with Francis's decision to dispense with the need for a miracle for John XXIII's canonisation, saying that decision was "too political".

He concluded by denouncing the recent criticism of St John Paul II for allegedly covering up the abuse of minors by priests.

The political intent was to damage Catholicism in Poland "by decapitating the most important figure," he said.

Source

• America Magazine

Pope Francis announced last week that he is adding an extra year to the Synod on Synodality.

Pope Francis has described it as a "journey" of discernment about the future of the Church that entails lengthy "dialogue" with the laity and dioceses across the world.

So far, the synodal "listening sessions" in countries such as Germany have occasioned little more than subversion of the Catholic faith.

Müller's fears are entirely justified.

The cardinal Pope Francis has chosen to run the Synod on Synodality speaks volumes about its direction.

He chose Jesuit Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the archbishop of Luxembourg, who is on record rejecting the Church's perennial teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual acts.

"I think it is time for a fundamental revision of the doctrine," he has said.

Hollerich is openly hostile to traditionalists within the Church and sees the Synod on Synodality as an opportunity for the Church to adapt to the "changing mindsets" of the modern world.

For Müller, such talk smacks of the heresy of modernism, the idea that the truth comes not from above, in the form of divine revelation, but from below through man's "individual experience" and "self-revelation."

Pope Francis has credited the late Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini for influencing his thoughts on a "synodal" Church.

Martini favoured "democratising" the Church and called it "200 years out of date."

Martini is "very dear to me and also to you," the pope told Eugenio Scalfari, the atheistic Italian journalist.

The pope praised Martini for saying that the Church should have not just a vertical dimension but a "horizontal" one as well: "When Cardinal Martini talked about this, putting the emphasis on the councils and the synods, he knew very well how long and difficult it would be to travel the road in that direction. With prudence, but with firmness and tenacity."

(In fact, the pope's council of cardinals, among whom are numbered open critics of Church teaching, is an idea that came directly from Martini.)

As Müller and other bishops such as Athanasius Schneider (pictured,) note, this "listening" Church is only really interested in the feedback of liberal Catholics who clamour for changes to Church teaching.

Martini's dream of a "permanently synodal" Church is a nightmare for faithful Catholics.

It is a Church that gradually dilutes the faith.

Like the pope's previous synod on the family, which subverted canon law's prohibition on Communion for the divorced and remarried, the Synod on Synodality will simply undermine Church teachings.

Its loudest participants want the Church to change her teachings on everything from marriage to the male priesthood.

The self-consciously "synodal" Flemish bishops recently endorsed blessing ceremonies for homosexual couples; an outlandish move Pope Francis still hasn't condemned.

The progressives in the Church cast the Synod on Synodality as a kind of de facto Vatican III that should consolidate and augment the liberalism of Vatican II.

Hollerich recently made the ludicrous claim that without Vatican II, the "Church would be a small sect, unknown to most people."

The truth is the exact reverse: Since Vatican II, the Church has grown steadily weaker and less significant.

European bishops like Hollerich preside over empty pews.

Whatever its flaws, the pre-Vatican II Church had much more clout and influence than its successor. Continue reading

• George Neumayr is a senior editor at The American Spectator

It will not.

The synod is projected to be a new-old way of being "church," a permanent recovery of how the church began and grew. Francis plans it as a change that will outlast his papacy.

Even so, too many Catholics still have no idea what "synodality" means. No matter what the naysayers say, it is not a parliamentary event to vote on doctrinal matters of faith and morals. Rooted in the teachings and process of the Second Vatican Council, synodality is understood as "walking together" — a coming to consensus — about the renewal begun following Vatican Two.

Of course, synodality means nothing if a national conference of bishops, individual bishops, or pastors ignore the whole idea. Some of them believe that if they ignore the synodal process, they will be able to recover the past. They are the clerics who prefer the fiddle-back vestments and Latin Masses of their real or imagined pasts. They want women kept out of the sanctuary. They want lay people kept in their place.

These men simply hope the synod will go away. They may have paid it lip service, with secret invitation-only synod meetings and perfunctory reports. They may have thought they only had a year or so until a new pontificate would erase all this business about consulting the laity.

They are wrong.

Of course, a new pontificate is precisely what Francis' opposition hopes for. No doubt, the electioneering has begun. Leading the charge, or at least leveling the greatest charges against synodality, are Australian Cardinal George Pell and German Cardinal Gerhard L. Müller, (pictured) both retired. Each has a palatial apartment from which to conspire just outside one of the Vatican's gates.

Pell is a Rome-educated former archbishop of Sydney and for a while the Vatican's economic overseer. In a recent "National Catholic Register" essay, he dismissed current synodal processes, presenting the Church's 21 councils as "examples of the Holy Spirit at work." His point: Only clerics can discern and decide. He calls the German synod process "suicidal."

Müller, whose term as head of the Vatican's doctrinal body ended as its document on synodality was being written, has long been critical of Francis' concept of synodality. Venting his ire in EWTN's Alabama studio with news anchor Raymond Arroyo recently, Müller called the synod a "hostile takeover of the Church of Jesus Christ," adding: "We must resist."

Müller took aim at synod secretary Cardinal Grech, whom he said had "no importance in academic theology," accusing him of "presenting a new hermeneutic of the Catholic faith." He underscored his argument, saying that only cardinals knew what they were doing in the Curia, and lay persons should not be involved in choosing bishops.

Why all the controversy?

The synod's issues are well known — women in ministry, a married priesthood, the status of divorced-remarried persons and considerations about homosexuality. These are the concerns of Catholics around the world. These are the synod opponents' concerns as well. They hope for a new pope.

However, although Francis turns 86 this coming December, members of the opposition are also aging. Pell at 81 is too old to vote in a conclave; Müller is 74. But while they keep their apartments, they are well situated to gather like-minded cardinals in the sort of conspiratorial meetings not known since the Middle Ages.

Consider this: Both Müller and Pell were among 13 reported cardinal signers of a letter opposing the work of the 2015 Synod on the Family. Six of their fellow cardinal signers are still alive.

They are not kidding. They genuinely want to cancel synodality. They seem willing to lead their followers into schism just to get away from dealing with questions of the laity.

And their followers, a tiny portion of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, happily support them through their media outlets and, more importantly, with their money. Francis, meanwhile, depends on the Holy Spirit.

• Phyllis Zagano is senior research associate-in-residence and adjunct professor of religion at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Her most recent book is "Women: Icons of Christ." The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.

More recently, on 11 October, Müller told the Tagespost that "not even the Pope can abolish priestly celibacy".

In the final days of the Amazon Synod, quotations from a 1992 German text by Müller were circulated among the Synod participants in Rome.

Writing in 1992, when he was professor of dogmatics at Munich University and had not yet become a bishop, Müller looked back to a trip he made to the Andes in Peru in 1988. "On the Feast of the Assumption (in 1988), we experienced expressions of a deeply felt Indian religiosity which in our eyes could be understood as an expression of genuine faith and trust in God," he wrote.

In his "Reflections on a Seminar", held in 1988 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 1968 Medellin General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, (CELAM) which were published in the Catholic Academy for Youth Issues - Akademie für Jugendfragen - Müller then advocated ordaining viri probati, that is, proven married men.

"Celibate priests are necessary for the priesthood. It must, however, be possible to ordain religiously proven and theologically educated family fathers, not only in remote areas but also in huge city parishes, so that basic pastoral and liturgical practices can continue to be celebrated," Müller emphasised.

He explained: "A new concept of this kind would not contradict the Church's tradition, as loyalty to tradition does not mean that the Church is only committed to past history but, on the contrary, far more to future history."

He then warned: "If the Church insists on holding on to obligatory celibacy under all circumstances, it must state the reasons as to why both the spiritual meaning and the assets of celibacy are of such importance to the Church that it is even prepared to hazard a decisive deformation of its constitution on account of the lack of priests."

These views on celibacy stand in strong contrast to views he expressed during the Amazon Synod.

Asked what he thought of ordaining viri probati by Paolo Rodari in an interview in La Repubblica on 10 October, Müller replied: "Ordaining viri probati is wrong. The celibacy rule is not just any rule that can be changed at will. It has deep roots in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The priest represents Christ and has a living spirituality that cannot be changed. ... No Pope and no majority of bishops can change dogma or Divine Law according to their taste".

And on 11 October, Müller told Bavarian Radio that the discussions on the possible introduction of viri probati at the synod looked like "European Catholics' wishes in an Amazonian wrapping".

"Celibacy as the normal priestly lifestyle in the Latin-rite Church cannot be called into question," he underlined. Continue reading

Müller, the former archbishop of Regensburg, Germany, made the comment during a reflection in Verona on the theme "Prayer: A gift from God," telling hundreds of listeners that "the faithful of Islam are not adopted children of God by the grace of Christ, but only his subjects."

Therefore, "We cannot pray like or with Muslims," he said.

"Their faith in God and his self-revelation is not only different from the Christian faith in God, but even denies its formula, claiming that God does not have a Son who, as the eternal Word of the Father, is a divine person and, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is the One and Trinitarian God."

He went on to explain that Muslims can pray only to a distant God, submitting to his will as an unknown destiny.

"Their prayer expresses the blind subordination to the dominant will of God. The Christian instead prays that the will of God be done, a will that we do in liberty and that does not make us slaves, but free children of God."

Müller explained that unlike people of other religions, Christians "do not view their neighbours, who do not want or cannot believe in God, as opponents or victims of the Zeitgeist to be pitied.

"Instead, Christians see them as brothers whose Creator and Father is the only God, the One who seeks them out.

"They [Christians] offer an honest dialogue regarding the question that determines the meaning of being in general and of human existence in particular, because they feel united to them in the search for a better world."

For Müller, "Even Islam has faith in the one God, but which is understood as a natural faith in the existence of God and not as faith as a virtue infused with hope and love, which makes us sharers in the life of God, ensuring that we remain in him and he in us."

Source

• LifeSite
• Image: National Catholic Register

Public attacks put into question the church's credibility, he says. Read more

In a question and answer session with members of the Jesuit order in Colombia earlier this month, Francis referred to the dubia, saying:

"I want to repeat clearly that the morality of Amoris Laetitia is Thomist, the morality of the great Thomas."

He was referring to 13th century Dominican theologian St. Thomas Aquinas.

"I want to say this so that you can help those who believe that morality is purely casuistic," he said.

"Help them understand that the great Thomas possesses the greatest richness - still able to inspire us today."

The pope's conversation with the Jesuits may help Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who is the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In Müller's view Francis is surrounded by "false friends" who are acting like "children in a boarding school by privately denouncing people they disagree with."

Müller says this is also happening in colleges and universities, where people who question Amoris Laetitia, particularly the much-discussed Footnote 351, put their careers in jeopardy.

He says there is a climate of fear in the Curia as people worry that "spies" will bad-mouth them to the Pope.

"These people, who speak bad words and lies against other persons, are disturbing and disrupting the good faith, the good name of others whom they are calling their brothers.

Regarding the ongoing debate over Amoris Laetitia, the Cardinal called for dialogue and criticised those who try to silence their opponents, accusing them of "un-Christian behaviour".

"It is a great danger for the Church that some ideological groups present themselves as the exclusive guardians of the only true interpretation of Amoris Laetitia. They feel they have the right to condemn all people of another standpoint as stupid, rigid, old-fashioned and medieval."

On this point, Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin is in agreement.

He says it is "important to have dialogue even within the Church" in response to last week's ‘filial correction' about Amoris Laetitia.

"People who disagree express their dissent, but on these things we have to reason, to try to understand one another," he says.

Source

• Catholic Herald
• Catholic Herald
• NCR
• National Catholic Register
• Image: Riposte Catholique

More than 500 boys suffered abuse at the hands of dozens of teachers and priests at the school that trains the Regensburg Cathedral boys' choir reports, Ulrich Weber.

Weber, an independent investigator, was appointed by the Regensburg diocese to look into the allegations of abuse.

Weber's report says 547 boys at the Domspatzen's school "with a high degree of plausibility" were victims of physical or sexual abuse, or both.

It counted 500 cases of physical violence and 67 of sexual violence, committed by a total of 49 perpetrators.

"Violence, fear and helplessness dominated" the choir's preschool.

"Violence was an everyday method," the report says.

"The whole system of education was oriented toward top musical achievements and the choir's success," Weber reports.

"Alongside individual motives, institutional motives - namely, breaking the will of the children with the aim of maximum discipline and dedication - formed the basis for violence."

Weber also criticises Cardinal Gerhard Muller, who was bishop of Regensburg from 2002 until 2012.

The then Bishop Muller had "a clear responsibility" in the "strategic, organisational and communication weaknesses", Weber says.

In 2012, Pope Benedict appointed Muller to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Decades of abuse

The abuse happened for decades, said Weber, July 18, during a press conference in Regensburg.

Former students of the Domspatzen choir reported that the physical, emotional and even sexual abuse at the school made life there like "a prison, hell and a concentration camp".

Choirmaster admits failure to act

From 1964 to 1994 Ratzinger was the choirmaster attached to the Regensburger Domspatzen school where serious abuse took place.

Ratzinger, the older brother of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, says he was aware of violent incidents that took place at the school, but not the extent of the abuse.

"Had I known at the time what excessive violence he (the principal at the time) was using I would have said something back then," he says.

He says choir boys had referred to physical abuse during concert tours, "but their reports didn't reach me to the extent that I believed I had to intervene."

He has asked victims for forgiveness for his failure to act.

He also says he did not know anything about the boys being sexually abused.

"These things were never discussed," Ratzinger told Catholic newspaper Passauer Neue Presse.

"The problem of sexual abuse that has now come to light was never spoken of."

Ratzinger says he is willing to give evidence to an inquiry into sexual abuse at the school.

Sources

• France 24
• NCR
• RNS
• DW
• Vatican Radio
• The Guardian
• Image: dw