Germany’s bishops are distancing themselves from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith head, Archbishop Gerhard Muller’s defence of Catholic teaching on marriage.
“We are going to see that the issue is completely discussed”, Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx told Germany Spiegal News.
“The Prefect of the Congregation cannot end the discussion”, the Cardinal Archbishop of Munch said.
Cardinal Marx said the German bishops are looking for a broad debate on the way that divorced and remarried people are treated by the Catholic Church,
Making the statement, the powerful German cardinal is taking on the head of the Congregation for the doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Muller.
Archbishop Muller recently restated the traditional Catholic teaching on marriage including the exclusion from Holy Communion for those Catholics divorced and remarried.
Marx told Germany’s Spiegel News the Bavarian bishops want a broad debate on the way that divorced and remarried people are treated by the Catholic Church.
The Bavarian bishops do not want to accept the status quo, and discussions on this topic should not be narrowed solely to the teaching of the Church, the Cardinal said.
The Cardinal’s comments come against the background of a global opinion survey being conducted by the Vatican.
In the survey, the Vatican wants to find out the views of Catholic communities on sensitive issues, such as dealing with divorce and homosexuality.
Asking Catholics to speak out, “Make the voices of the grassroots audible,” urged the Cardinal
Sources