The Vatican’s doctrine chief has lambasted the idea that doctrinal or disciplinary decisions on marriage and family be delegated to bishops’ conferences. In an interview with French Catholic magazine Famille Chrétienne, Cardinal Gerhard Müller called the notion “absolutely anti-Catholic”. The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the idea does not Read more
A silenced Irish theologian says the prefect of the Church’s doctrinal watchdog is head of a Vatican faction opposed to Pope Francis. Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery told an Irish radio show that Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, leads the anti-Francis faction in the Vatican. “He would generally Read more
Pope Francis is to open a Vatican-sponsored interreligious conference dedicated to traditional marriage. The gathering, on the “Complementarity of Man and Woman”, will take place from November 17-19. It will feature more than 30 speakers, representing 23 countries. Representatives from various Christian churches and Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism and Sikhism will attend. The Read more
A Filipino cardinal says media coverage of last month’s synod on the family was dominated by the concerns of the West. Speaking to Filipino media, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said synod media coverage was correct, but focussed on same-sex unions and divorced people. Yet the synod fathers also discussed families separated by economic migration, the Read more
Five cardinals have joint-authored a book that finds current Church doctrine regarding divorced and remarried Catholics is the most merciful approach. “Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church” has been written by Cardinals Gerhard Müller, Raymond Burke, Walter Brandmüller, Carlo Caffarra, and Velasio De Paolis. Four theologians and professors Read more
The number of women on the International Theological Commission will soon be trebled, says the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In an interview in L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Gerhard Müller said the number of women will be rising from two to “five or six”, following new nominations by Pope Francis. The commission, Read more
The prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith will reportedly meet the superior of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X this month. The meeting between Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX, on September 21, has been labelled as “informal”. If it goes ahead, it will be Cardinal Müller’s first meeting with Read more
A distinguished American feminist theologian says post-Vatican II renewal has not taken place in the Church’s hierarchy. Fordham University theologian Sr Elizabeth Johnson told an assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in Nashville that tension between the Vatican and women religious has historical, sociological and ecclesiastical roots. But a solution could be found, Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has again strongly defended the Church’s teaching on Communion for the divorced and remarried. In a book length interview published on July 29, Cardinal Gerhard Müller discussed “mercy” and its connection with justice. He also dwelt on the image of the Church as a Read more
To truly understand Pope Francis, one must understand the Latin American mindset, the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith says. Cardinal Gerhard Müller spoke about the Pope during an interview with the Austrian Pontifical Missions magazine Alle Welt. Cardinal Müller said the Western world would have to learn to see problems Read more