German cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has given an interview to Italian newspaper La Repubblicca outlining his hopes that the next Pope will reverse course on acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people and Muslims.
Cardinal Müller was a fierce critic of Pope Francis and publicly disagreed with his approach to other religions and people of non-heterosexual sexualities.
In the interview he said the next Pope “must make clear” that “the Catholic doctrine of marriage must not be relativised.”
Pope Francis during his papacy has allowed for same-sex unions to be blessed and said gay people should not be judged. His death at the age of 88 on Easter Monday has brought tributes from political leaders and millions of people who follow the Catholic faith.
In the interview the Cardinal reportedly shared his view that the previous Pope, Benedict XVI, had a better understanding of the church’s doctrine. Müller said Francis’s strength has been more in the “social sphere”.
He warned that the church would face a potential split if another progressive leader was elected. He argues that the new leader “must be orthodox – neither a liberal nor a conservative”.
He describes the situations as “the question is not between conservatives and liberals but between orthodoxy and heresy”, adding: “I am praying that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the cardinals, because a heretic pope who changes every day depending on what the mass media is saying would be catastrophic.”
Cardinal Müller served as the church’s doctrinal chief at The Vatican under Pope Bennedict, a position he retained when Pope Francis was appointed. He was dropped from the role after criticising the Pope’s decision to allow communion for divorcees who remarry outside of the church.
Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday. Afterwards the conclave will be called to order to elect a new leader for the Catholic Church.
Image: Gerhard Ludwig Müller 24th December 2006 at Christmas Night Mass at Regensburg Cathedral. Published via a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Image has been Cropped.
