The Vatican has denied reports that the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was involved in financial irregularities.
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed investigations were being carried out in the CDF, led by Cardinal Gerhard Müller
But the spokesman denied the cardinal’s involvement in any wrong-doing.
“The superiors of the dicastery, especially Cardinal Müller . . . have absolutely nothing to do with the affair,” Fr Lombardi said.
Germany’s Bild newspaper claimed investigators carried out a raid at the CDF and confiscated 20,000 euros (US$21,976) in cash.
The funds had been paid by dioceses around the world for the investigation of sexual abuse cases.
The newspaper claimed the funds had been used by Cardinal Müller for private and business expenses.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Müller has said in an interview about “mercy” that Jesus did not “make cheap discounts on the truth”.
Asked by the Catholic News Agency if one could be merciful and still correct doctrinal errors, the cardinal said “if a father doesn’t correct his children, but justifies or minimises their mistakes, he wouldn’t love them and would drive them to disaster”.
“In the end, a father who doesn’t help his children to recognise their mistakes doesn’t really esteem them and doesn’t have trust in their ability to change.”
The cardinal also said: “Mercy is contrary to the laissez-faire . . . is this not God’s attitude toward man: it is enough to read the Gospel and see how Jesus acted, who was good but at the same time didn’t make cheap discounts on the truth.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cardinal Müller said “Mercy isn’t just free-market loving each other”.
“When God bursts into the life of man, in the measure of his acceptance, it tends to change also the way he looks at things, his attitude, the criteria of his actions and thus, by grace, also his behaviour.”
Sources