In his first public statement on the subject, Pope Francis has called for the Church to continue “decisive action” against clerical sex abuse. The Pope asked the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Müller, to “continue the line desired by Benedict XVI of decisive action regarding cases of sexual Read more
Pope Francis has reaffirmed the need to reform the major group of women religious in the United States, accepting the Vatican’s 2012 assessment that found it had “serious doctrinal problems”. The Pope’s view was conveyed to representatives of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, led by president Sister Florence Deacon, by the prefect of the Read more
Pope Francis has directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to “act decisively” on cases of priestly sex abuse. The Pope discussed the congregation’s responsibilities for at least an hour on April 5 with its prefect, Archbishop Gerhard Muller, but the formal statement following the meeting referred only to dealing with sexual abuse. Read more
The Vatican has stalled an attempt by the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, to prevent members of the theology department in the Catholic University of Peru to continue teaching theology. The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, is reported to have written to Cardinal Cipriani, lifting Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has launched a sharply-worded attack on campaigns against the Catholic Church in Europe and the United States, comparing them to pogroms against Jews. In an interview with the daily Die Welt, Archbishop Gerhard Müller said attacks intended to discredit the Church are launched on Read more
On July 2, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Bishop Gerhard Müller the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, arguably the most influential and prestigious of all the Vatican’s departments. The 64-year-old native of Mainz in central Germany was subsequently elevated to archbishop and made ex officio president of the Pontifical Read more
In May of 2005, Archbishop William Levada—who had headed the Archdioceses of Portland (Oregon) and San Francisco—was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In July of 2011, having reached the age of 75, Cardinal Levada duly submitted his resignation from that important curial post. Almost a year later, on July Read more
Today’s startling, and sickening, news of the appointment of Archbishop Gerhard Müller as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is just one more nail in the coffin of the hoped for inauguration of a new era of understanding between the Roman authorities of the novus ordo establishment and Catholic traditionalists. This marks a Read more
Reliable voices in the Vatican are saying Cardinal William Levada, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will retire by the end of June. Italian daily La Stampa reports that Levada has told Pope Benedict he wants to return home to the United States and that Benedict will accept his resignation. David Read more