Cardinal Müller Warns of Schism…
From La Croix International: Cardinal Müller ‘bitter and concerned’ with Church’s direction – 29 November, 2017…
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller / Alberto PizzolI / AFP
“There is a front made up of traditionalist groups as well as a number of progressives, who would like to see me lead a movement against the pope, but I will never do it.”
These were the words of Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Massimo Franco, columnist at the Italian daily Il Corriere dela Sera, in an interview published on Sunday, November 26.
Müller, who has previously distanced himself from a series of pontifical moves, revealed that he was both bitter and concerned with the direction the Church is taking.
Insisting that he believed in “the unity of the Church”, Cardinal Müller nevertheless called on Church authorities “to listen to those who have serious questions and fair complaints”.
“We must not ignore them or, worse, humiliate them,” he emphasized.
“If not, without intending it, the risk of a slow separation may grow and lead to a schism by a section of the Catholic world that feels disoriented and disappointed,” Cardinal Müller warned.
“The history of Martin Luther’s Protestant schism 500 years ago should indicate the kind of mistakes we need to avoid,” he said.
Although he had previously harshly criticized his dismissal as the head of the Congregation for the Faith, he revealed several new aspects of this in his Corriere interview.
Pope Francis reportedly said to him that “certain people have told me anonymously that you are my enemy”.
“After forty years of service to the Church,” he lamented, “gossips are making such absurd comments, creating doubts in the mind of the pope when they would have done better to visit a psychiatrist.”
Reaffirming his loyalty to Pope Francis, Cardinal Müller claimed that the pontiff’s “real friends are not those who flatter him” but “those who assist him with the truth and with theological and human expertise”.
He had severe words for the “detractors” whom he blamed for his departure from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Refuting the notion of a plot against the pope as “an absolute exaggeration”, he admitted that significant “tensions” exist in the Church at present.
“I believe that the cardinals who expressed their doubts on Amoris Laetitia or the 62 signatories to a letter making critical comments about the pope, including some which were excessive, should be listened to and not swept aside with the back of the hand as if they were Pharisees or malcontents,” Cardinal Müller said.
What is needed is “free and frank dialogue,” he added.
Instead, he feared that people within the pope’s “magic circle” are “worried primarily about spying on perceived enemies, preventing open and balanced discussion”.
In a sign of his good faith, Cardinal Müller recently issued a public defense of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on the family, which has crystallized the various conflicts.
“To classify all Catholics as ‘friends’ or ‘enemies’ of the pope is the greatest evil that they cause to the Church,” Cardinal Müller insisted.
“People are perplexed when they see a well-known journalist, who is also an atheist, claim to be a friend of the pope, while a Catholic bishop and cardinal like me, is defamed as an opponent of the pope.
“I don’t think that these people are in a position to give theology lessons on the primacy of the sovereign pontiff,” he said.
Compared to Benedict XVI’s pontificate, the Church now seems “weaker,” Cardinal Müller continued.
“There are fewer and fewer priests yet we are offering answers that are more organizational, political or diplomatic than theological and spiritual,” he said.
“The Church is not a political party based on power struggles. We need to discuss existential issues about life and death, the family, and religious vocations and not always ecclesiastical politics,” he added.
“Pope Francis is popular and that’s a good thing. However, people are no longer receiving the sacraments. And his popularity among those Catholics who enthusiastically quote him, unfortunately, does not change their false convictions,” the cardinal insisted.
It is now necessary to go beyond the notion of a Church as a “country hospital”, Cardinal Müller said, citing an expression popularized by Pope Francis.
He said, instead, that the world needs a “Silicon Valley” Church.
“We need to become the Steve Jobs of the faith and transmit a powerful vision in terms of moral and cultural values,” the cardinal claimed. [Emphases added] Source – La Croix International
Comment:
Is the Cardinal over-egging the crisis? Or do you agree that we are in danger of schism?
Comments (29)
The conciliar ones destroy each other because each one wants to make triumph his personal ideas in contradiction with the traditional and legitimate and immutable teaching which comes to us from God.
They are irreparably doomed.
One has the impression that the Church was put into liquidation and that the bishops are no more than “ecclesiastical functionaries”, without any really pastoral concern!…
They give themselves over to an excessive religious syncretism and follow the decadent, “ideologically correct” movement of civil society, which is essentially secular…
The Hierarchy is in a state of generalized apostasy, it is shouting in words and deeds!
Lionel,
I think you are right about the hierarchy being in a state of apostasy and it is terrifying to think of it. I am constantly astounded that God has not intervened, given all that is going on.
Joséphine,
Please, believe me that GOD WILL INTERVEN AT HIS TIME; He does already in various ways we do not necessarily know!…
That’s very interesting about Cardinal Muller – and it makes me wonder if he is involved in this “mysterious book”:
“A remarkable new book about the Francis papacy is set to be released in English this coming Monday, December 4th, after an Italian debut earlier this month that is rumored to have made quite a splash in Rome. Entitled, The Dictator Pope, it is described on the Amazon pre-order page as “The inside story of the most tyrannical and unprincipled papacy of modern times.”
The book promises a look “behind the mask” of Francis, the alleged “genial man of the people,” revealing how he “consolidated his position as a dictator who rules by fear and has allied himself with the most corrupt elements in the Vatican to prevent and reverse the reforms that were expected of him.”
https://onepeterfive.com/the-dictator-pope-mysterious-new-book-looks-behind-the-mask-of-francis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Onepeterfive+%28OnePeterFive%29
It’s interesting that it is being brought out into the open that the “genial” front of this pope is different from the pope “behind the mask”. It’s terrible to see a pope described as a “dictator who rules by fear” etc. That is truly shocking.
It’s also shocking that the modernists who have blackened the characters of good popes like St Pius X and Pope Pius XII, are praising this “dictator” to the skies.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can recall occasions when Catholic Truth said that we are already in schism. I can’t see that things have improved since those statements, LOL!
MM
You are correct – we have consistently pointed out that the Church – certainly in Scotland – has been in de facto schism since Vatican II hit the parishes.
Think about it: the hierarchy has been described, in the media, as “Vatican hardliners” giving the impression of a faithful episcopate while, in fact, as we know, the Faith was not being taught in pulpits or schools, dissenters were invited to address/distort the faith of priests and teachers, and dissenting publications like The Tablet are sold in parishes, cathedrals and “Catholic” shops. That was/is a de facto schism. In FACT, the Church in Scotland has split from the authentic Catholic Church, all the while keeping up the appearance of being loyal to the Church. The odd statement about abortion being wrong was all it took to win the “Vatican hardliner” headline and keep the clueless laity from asking too many questions or, worse, noticing the schism!
Cardinal Muller, however, seems to be suggesting that an open,formal schism is on the cards. We’ll see.
Just a curious question. I don’t know about the Tablet publication or the nature of their dissent but are you describing heresy rather than schism? Schism implies a break from the unity of the Church under the Supreme Pontiff and from members subject to him. Has the Catholic Church in Scotland severed themselves from the Supreme Pontiff (or pretend like they are obedient but in fact will not obey anything that comes from Rome)?
I see Muller as part of modernist Rome, and therefore, part of the problem.
Margaret Mary,
The freemasons (no, Mozilla, I’m not going to capitalize “freemasons”) accomplished the same trick with the US government: keep the facade intact, but alter the interior and control if from behind the scenes. Sort of a diabolical imitation of transubstantiation. After all, got to keep the sheeple asleep while civilization is being replaced under their very noses.
With Francis, however, they have abandoned that tactic and have even begun to dismantle the facade, so that the covert schism is now fully overt (the devil’s time must be growing short). Meanwhile, the bishops apparently prefer to be Protestant than Catholic. I wonder what they think is the reward for that betrayal?
RCA Victor,
I think you put your finger on it when you say that the openly schismatic attitudes suggest that “the devil’s time is growing short.” Well said, there. I agree.
I think this is a little unfair. The current incumbent Scottish bishops are a lot better. Some of them, at least, recognise that work needs to be done. They are men of Faith who try hard. I can see signs of progress.
Petrus,
If the Scottish bishops recognise that work needs to be done, why aren’t they doing it? I don’t see any sign of it at all. We’ve got Bishop Keenan on radio telling us what a great person Luther was, and Bishop Toal refusing to publicly correct Fr Morton for his LGBT support. Yes, as per the December newsletter reports, one bishop has said in a personal letter to someone that Fr Morton was wrong, but that still leaves the scandal uncorrected by his own bishop. I don’t see them as “recognising that work needs to be done” to avoid schism. I see them as complicit in it, maybe not all equally guilty, but guilty, just the same, IMHO.
Coming from the Cardinal who always appears to be in schism with himself ……the epitome of the split personality of the modern Church. “Pope Francis is popular and that’s a good thing. However, people are no longer receiving the sacraments. And his popularity among those Catholics who enthusiastically quote him, unfortunately, does not change their false convictions,”
In this one assertion there are two of him speaking, as in: ‘Wow, the Pope is popular and the faithful are deserting the Sacraments. Isn’t it great that the faithful enthusiastically quote this Pope who never tells them the Truth!”
Heloisa,
Cardinal Muller is a puzzling character. I’ve read heretical statements from him and yet when I went to double check him on Google I couldn’t find anything except him defending orthodoxy, LOL! This report which I’ve just read is very good because he nails the lie that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus over bothering about doctrine. Take a minute to read it, it’s worth the time.
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/07/10/cardinal-muller-on-personal-encounter-and-doctrine/
I had a quick look but, frankly, I try not to read too much of what those Cardinals and Bishops say who excel in doublespeak or plain waffle. Although I can smell blatant heresy, blasphemy and sacrilege pretty easily, my theological knowledge is not that great and I don’t want a taste of something I later find was temptingly aromatic but poisonous :-)) Better safe than sorry!
Sometimes it would appear he knows the truth all to well, but is stuck in Vatican II and can’t decide between loyalty to a Pope and loyalty to the Faith. I can understand why so many seem to be in that position and finding it difficult, but you’d think by now they’d have twigged that the two simply aren’t compatible and that VII lies at the bottom of it all. Or perhaps he has twigged and just can’t extricate himself from the mess. Seems to be digging himself a forever widening hole.
Heloisa,
That’s a great post from you – very well said! What you say about protecting yourself from poison, is completely correct and it is why the much maligned Index of Books existed to protect the faithful from having their faith polluted, because most of us don’t have the theological knowledge to pick out the heresies, so your post is very honest and very helpful. Makes folk like me feel less of a thicko – LOL!
I think we have had schism since the second Vatican Council, Archbishop Lefebvre summed it up well.
“In so far as the new Church separates itself from the old Church we cannot follow it. That is the position, and that is why we maintain Tradition, we keep firmly to Tradition; and I am sure we are being of immense service to the Church.”
“Two religions confront each other; we are in a dramatic situation and it is impossible to avoid a choice”. ~Archbishop Lefebvre
When you see what the “Church” is teaching now with “Saving the planet” issues, Ecumenism, refugee rights and poverty etc it has certainly lost its mission with the loss of numerous souls, maybe a formal schism may awaken “Catholics” still asleep to the true faith (I was also late at arriving at the truth) . Poland, Hungary and now Ireland are realising now what is at stake and the truth is always worth fighting and dying for.
Chloe,
I agree – “old” and “new” Church does prove a schism in actual fact, even if not called out publicly (yet!)
I think Cardinal Muller has become rather accustomed to speaking out of both sides of his mouth, i.e. a typical Modernist. Whether he does this to throw the Francis wolves off track, or whether, as some have speculated, he is “running for Pope,” the bottom line is that he is making a fool of himself.
I recall this blog pointing out, when he was appointed Prefect of the CDF, that a certain priest’s reaction to this appointment was something like: “He should be investigated by the CDF, not appointed to head it!” In other words, aside from his habitual fence-straddling, his orthodoxy is also highly questionable. He does nothing to help the Church in the worst crisis in her history – he merely makes it worse.
I also want to thank Lionel for his profound opening remark.
RCA Victor,
That’s a great quote – are you sure it was a priest said that and not my very humble self? 😀
Editor,
I’m sure I would remember if your humble self humbly said that, but then again, my humble memory isn’t as humble as it used to be….I think that priest preferred to remain anonymous, which is understandable, since the modern Vatican is a land of reprisals, rather than of Faith.
RCA Victor,
It’s approaching midnight over here and I need my beauty sleep (say nothing) but I just cannot let that crack at my humility go unremarked; that anonymous priest had some cheek saying something that I could easily have thought up, given time….
Both of you would do well to reflect on the following deeply spiritual piece of reading… 😀
http://boardofwisdom.com/cachetogo/images/quotes/440806.png
Excellent!
Editor,
I think “Unknown” might have been the same priest who remarked about the inappropriateness of Cardinal Muller’s appointment! But hopefully that priest hasn’t told any women they were wrong, in the Confessional….
RCA Victor,
LOL! That’s just what I was thinking about “unknown” – LOL!
I think the cardinal has got it the wrong way round when he says this:
“a slow separation may grow and lead to a schism by a section of the Catholic world that feels disoriented and disappointed,” Cardinal Müller warned.
I think it’s more likely to be the followers of Pope Francis who will go into formal schism when his fake promises come to nothing. The Church’s teaching can’t change and when that reality if brought home to them (maybe soon, or by the next pope) they will do a Martin Luther and set up their own church. Good riddance to them, I say!
Here’s Chris. Ferrara’s unmasking of Cardinal Muller’s verbal gymnastics: http://www.fatimaperspectives.com/fe/perspective1115.asp
I’ve finally found the smoking gun, in detail, regarding Cardinal Muller’s heresies. Though one source of smoke was a notorious sv website, I also found this on Rorate Caeli, back when Muller was being considered for CDF Prefect by Pope Benedict (his fellow Modernist):
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/03/in-charge-of-henhouse.html
There is nothing to add; the cause is finally heard!
I agree with you.
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