He says those critics have not read his previous work on papal supremacy.

"The same people who were critical, even hostile, towards Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whom they denounced as traitors of the spirit of the [Second Vatican] Council, now invoke Pope Francis."

Mueller says the Manifesto he published last month was necessary because "many Christians are no longer even aware of the basic teachings of the Faith, so there is a growing danger of missing the path to eternal life".

The Manifesto reaffirms the Church's traditional teaching on issues such as communion for divorced-and-remarried people and Communion for Protestants.

After reading the Manifesto, Cardinal Walter Kasper compared Mueller to Martin Luther, saying: "One who rightly advocates reforms in the Church, but wants to pursue these behind the Pope's back and enforce them in opposition to him".

His critics, he claims, are trying to use Francis as a "vehicle for their leftist-liberal agenda to de-sacramentalise the Church".

In his view, the church is mistaken in various ways at present especially in relation to:

• The sexual crimes of some priests: priestly celibacy or the sacramentality of the episcopal and priestly offices is not responsible - instead, the church should look at the collapse of the priestly ethos and sexual morality during the 1980s
• Church reform: true reform means "spiritual and moral renewal in Christ - not the de-christianisation of the Church or her transformation into an NGO, where global warming is more important than an awareness that God is the source and goal of man and of the whole of creation"
• Misusing the word "clericalism": when trying to find the causes of the abuse crisis, the term is being used as a "battle cry against the office instituted by God".

The best remedy for these problems is to follow traditional teaching, he says.

"The sacramental constitution of the Church, obedience to the Ten Commandments, and fidelity to one's call as a baptised, ordained, or married/unmarried Christian—these, when heeded, are the best protection against all forms of disobedience to our Creator and Redeemer and against injury to the love of God and neighbour, that love which encapsulates all the commandments."

Source

• Catholic Herald
• National Catholic RegisterImage:

Kasper says the manifesto, which Müller published on Sunday, contains half-truths and blanket statements that could lead to division and confusion in the Church.

Although the manifesto "contains many statements of faith that every upright Catholic can wholeheartedly affirm," some of the truths in it "are pointed out so pointedly that it fades out the other half," Kasper says.

Müller, who is former prefect of the Vatican's doctrinal office, says he wrote the manifesto as a response to Catholics who asked him to issue a "public testimony about the truth of revelation" because of "growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith".

The manifesto addresses five areas of Catholic doctrine: Christology, ecclesiology, sacraments, morality, and eschatology - the branch of theology that addresses death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Each section draws heavily from references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Kasper, who has been an outspoken advocate of the admission of the divorced-and-remarried to Holy Communion, accused Müller of making "unacceptable blanket statements".

These include the assertion that "the conscience of the faithful is not sufficiently formed.

"It is undoubtedly true that the confession of the Triune God constitutes a fundamental difference in belief in God and the image of man from other religions," Kasper said.

"But are there not similarities, especially with the Jews and the Muslims, in the belief in the one God? And are not these similarities today fundamental to peace in the world and in society? Half the truth is not the Catholic truth!" Kasper said.

He also said that he was "totally horrified" to read Müller's statement that failing to teach the truths of the Catholic faith "is the fraud of Antichrist".

Kasper suggested that Müller was following the path of Martin Luther: "One who rightly advocates reforms in the Church, but wants to pursue these behind the pope's back and enforce them in opposition to him? I would find that hard to believe. For that could only lead to confusion and division. That could unhinge the Catholic Church".

Source

• Herald Malaysia
• Crux Now
• Image: The Telegraph

The Manifesto is the work of 71-year old German Gerhard Mueller who is a leading member of the Church's conservative wing.

It repeats basic Catholic teaching that Catholics must be free from sin before receiving Communion.

It also mentions divorced and remarried faithful, in a clear reference to Francis's offer to let these Catholics receive Communion on a case-by-case basis after a process of accompaniment and discernment with their pastors.

In addition, it repeats that women cannot be ordained priests and that priests must be celibate.

Mueller issued the four-page manifesto on Friday via conservative Catholic media outlets.

He says he wrote the Manifesto "in the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the faith".

He claims some Church leaders "have abandoned the people entrusted to them, unsettling them and severely damaging their faith", and warns against "the fraud of (the) anti-Christ".

While Mueller did not mention the pope in the context of the anti-Christ, he has in the past joined with other conservative Catholics in openly accusing Francis of sowing confusion among the faithful.

Mueller says "many bishops, priests, religious and lay people" requested the Manifesto, although he has not provided data to back this claim.

The Manifesto's release coincided with the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian peninsula, where Francis and an Islamic leader signed a "Document on Human Fraternity".

It's release also marked the sixth anniversary of the end of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI's Pontificate.

Source

• Reuters
• Catholic News Agency
• AP
• ABS
• Image: Catholic News Agency