In an interview with the National Catholic Register, Fernández (pictured) acknowledged that while the core doctrine remains unchanged and the Gospel is immutable, the Church continually seeks to expand its comprehension of these profound truths.

Fernández, a 61-year-old Argentine theologian, cautioned against bishops who claim a "special gift of the Holy Spirit to judge the doctrine of the Holy Father," noting that such a path could lead to "heresy" and "schism."

"Remember that heretics always think they know the true doctrine of the Church," Fernández said.

In a letter accompanying Fernández's appointment, the Pope emphasised the importance of "guarding the faith" and expressed the hope that the dicastery would focus on this essential mission.

Fernández echoed the Pope's sentiment in his interview. "I believe that this dicastery can be a space that can welcome these debates and frame them in the secure doctrine of the Church, thus avoiding for the faithful some of the more aggressive, confusing and even scandalous media debates," he said.

Tension between Vatican and theologians

Martin Lintner, OSM, a Servite priest and theologian teaching at the Philosophical-Theological College of Brixen/Bressanone, Italy, is hopeful the appointment of Fernández brings a shift in the Vatican's approach to theologians and their roles within the Church.

Lintner has been denied approval by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to become the college's next dean. This decision comes after six months of waiting and a visit by Bishop Ivo Muser, who initiated the approval process.

The denial has brought to light the ongoing tension between the Vatican and theologians regarding theological positions and teaching roles.

Writing on the Lintner case, theologian Massimo Faggioli noted: "The relationship between [theologians] and the institutional Church has seen some changes since Francis's election. For one thing, there's been an obvious truce following the John Paul II and Benedict XVI eras. Yet it seems that theology has been more responsive to the pope's impulses than the Curia has."

Part of the difficulty in analysing Father Lintner's case is that, like other theologians who have been denied Vatican approval, no reason has been given for the decision.

Lintner described the appointment of Fernández as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith as "a sign of hope," because Fernández himself was once denied a nihil obstat, literally, "nothing obstructs."

"His bishop at the time, now Pope Francis, stood up for him and in this way obtained approval from the Vatican Curia. So he knows from his experience what it's all about."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

America Magazine

National Catholic Register

The pope visited the dicastery shortly after 9 am on Sept 5, the Vatican said in a brief statement. Francis also greeted other dicastery officials after meeting with the 79-year-old Ladaria.

On July 1, Pope Francis appointed Argentine Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, 61, as Ladaria's successor as doctrine chief.

Ladaria was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, then called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in 2017. He succeeded German Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

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The archbishop, an Argentine, had been since 2018 the Archbishop of La Plata, and was before that the rector of Argentina's Catholic University — a role to which he was appointed by then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.

Widely regarded as the author of the 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Fernandez has long been a close collaborator of the pope.

Since his July 1 appointment, Fernandez has made waves — because of comments on the possibility of same-sex liturgical blessings, his handling of abuse allegations, and because of "Heal me with your mouth," a 1995 book the archbishop wrote on the subject of kissing.

Amid those waves, Pope Francis named Fernandez a cardinal July 9 — he will officially join the College of Cardinals in late September.

In an interview by email July 17, Fernandez offered his assessment of the moral landscape, and discussed his mandate in the Church, and his sense of the place and moment of Catholic theology.

Pillar: What, in your opinion, are the three or four central moral questions facing the Church at this moment in history? What is the role of the DDF in addressing them? What is the pope's approach to these issues?

Fernandez :If we talk only about morality, I would say these four:

• The absolute primacy of grace and charity in Catholic moral theology.
• The inalienable dignity of each human person, and the consequences of that.
• The preferential option for the poor, the last, and those abandoned by society.
• The individualistic, hedonistic and egocentric approaches to life that make the option for marriage, family and the common good difficult.

But we would be off to a bad start if we separated morality from theology.

We should remember that for Francis, moral issues must be approached with the great announcement of the kerygma: a Father who loves us and who seeks our human fulfillment, reflected in a Christ who saved us, who saves us today, and now lives to communicate his new life to us.

Pillar: In his letter to you on your appointment, Pope Francis said that previously, the [DDF], "rather than promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect from you is certainly something very different," something you have since called a "turning point.

However, Praedicate evangelium, also written by Pope Francis says that the DDF "works to ensure that errors and dangerous teachings circulating among the Christian people do not go without suitable rebuttal."

These two documents seem to present different views of the role of the DDF in the safeguarding of doctrine. How do you think they can be reconciled? What is your approach to your appointment at the DDF?

Fernandez: Look, if you read the pope's letter carefully, it is clear that at no time does he say that the function of refuting errors should disappear.

Obviously, if someone says that Jesus is not a real man or that all immigrants should be killed, that will require strong intervention.

But at the same time, that [intervention] can be an opportunity to grow, to enrich our understanding.

For example, in those cases, it would be necessary to accompany that person in their legitimate intention to better show the divinity of Jesus Christ, or it will be necessary to talk about some imperfect, incomplete or problematic immigration legislation.

In the letter, the pope says very explicitly that the dicastery has to "guard" the teaching of the Church. Only that at the same time - and this is his right - he asks me for a greater commitment to help the development of thought, such as when difficult questions arise, because growth is more effective than control.

Heresies were eradicated better and faster when there was adequate theological development, and they spread and perpetuated when there were only condemnations.

But Francis also asks me to help collect the recent magisterium, and this evidently includes his own. It is part of what must be "guarded." Read more

• Edgar Beltrán is a philosopher and political scientist from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He is doing a Master's in Philosophy of Religion at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Archbishop Fernández (pictured) has been accused by critics of attempting to protect the priest.

Fernández has vehemently denied the allegations.

However, in an interview after conducting Mass in La Plata, Argentina, Fernández admitted that he would approach the situation differently if given the chance.

"Today, I would certainly act very differently and certainly my performance was insufficient," he told The Associated Press.

Francis appointed Fernández the archbishop of La Plata in 2018 and recently named him as head of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

This role involves guaranteeing doctrinal orthodoxy and addressing sexual abuse allegations against clergy.

Additionally, Fernández was bestowed with the title of cardinal along with several other religious figures on Sunday.

BishopAccountability.org, a US-based organisation dedicated to documenting abuse in the Catholic Church, has raised concerns about Fernández's appointment as the head of the dicastery.

The organisation alleges that Fernández dismissed the allegations made by minors against Eduardo Lorenzo, a priest in the Archdiocese of La Plata, who was accused of abusing them.

Could have been more attentive to victims

In response to the criticism, Fernández issued a statement to the AP on Monday, refuting the claim that he had expressed disbelief in the allegations.

He asserted that he took steps to distance the priest from the alleged victims.

However, during the interview, Fernández expressed self-criticism and attributed his actions to his lack of experience in a different diocese, having assumed the position of archbishop of La Plata in 2018.

He acknowledged that the church's procedures for handling abuse allegations by clerics were less clear at the time.

Fernández admitted that he could have been more attentive to the victims and should have acted earlier in removing Lorenzo from his priestly duties while the investigation was ongoing.

"I cannot say that I have committed a crime or something against what was established at that time, but that I could have been a much better father, much better pastor and much more efficient. That, of course, I recognise," he told AP.

Demonstrated support for the accused priest

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, expressed scepticism regarding Fernández's statements, asserting that claims of ignorance were not credible.

Doyle pointed out that Fernández had demonstrated support for the accused priest on multiple occasions and questioned why he had never reached out to Lorenzo's victims if he truly regretted his handling of the case.

Known as the "pope's theologian" due to his close advisory role to Pope Francis, Fernández is believed to have contributed to the drafting of several important documents issued by the pontiff.

Fernández revealed that he had discussed the criticism surrounding Lorenzo's case with the pope, and Francis had advised him to present an accurate account of what had transpired.

Sources

Religion News Service

Queen City News

CathNews New Zealand