De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former Prefect for the CDF, removed by Francis speaks to John Henry Westen about some of the madness going on in the Church at the moment. He says no one understands what is going on with Pope Francis and the August consistory and expresses concern about the appointment of Bishop McElroy to the Cardinalate . He says it makes no sense that this suffragan bishop has been appointed over his superior: Gomez, who is a good, faithful bishop. The Cardinal states that this strange move seems to stem directly from a misunderstanding of the Church in that it is an attempt to politicise the Church, seeking to change the Church to fit certain political agendas and to support political agendas. Here he is clearly stating that McElroy and the Pope are blatantly attempting to support Biden and are putting this political approach above a theological and moral approach to the issues of life and moral integrity. Cardinal Müller flatly condemns McElroy's promotion of issues l...

  The anonymous Cardinal Demos, in his recently circulated memo , pointed out the blatant heresy of Cardinal Hollerich and that that blatant heresy has gone without papal correction: Cardinal Hollerich rejects the Christian teaching on sexuality. The Papacy is silent. This is doubly significant because the Cardinal is explicitly heretical; he does not use code or hints. If the Cardinal were to continue without Roman correction, this would represent another deeper breakdown of discipline, with few (any?) precedents in history. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith must act and speak. Demos also points out the error of the German bishops and the silence of the Pope on this breach of unity, He expresses how the silence of the Pope is emphasised by contrasting it to his crack down on the Latin Mass. In the absence of any leadership from Rome, the scattered flock are lost and confused. No doubt, Demos is not the only one who is concerned, hence the international coalition of b...

In this World Over Live episode, Cardinal Mueller, Cardinal Burke & the Papal Posse all discuss the moves by Pope Francis to ban the Mass of Ages.

As I mentioned yesterday , the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Gerhard Cardinal Müller authored an analysis July 19 of Traditionis custodes , Pope Francis’ July 16 motu proprio on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. I think it's well worth a deeper look at what he said if only because his erudition and scholarship provide a perfect antidote to the dim-witted person who wrote the flawed motu proprio text. Presumably not even bothering to have it checked by a Canonist...but why would you when you are omniscient!? As I pointed out in my last post , Pope Francis explained his decision in an accompanying letter to bishops, in which he wrote: “In defense of the unity of the Body of Christ, I am constrained to revoke the faculty granted by my Predecessors.” The pope said he was saddened that the celebration of the extraordinary form was now characterized by a rejection of the Second Vatican Council and its liturgical reforms. This des...

Recently I saw this story doing the rounds where Pope Francis caused a man who identified as homosexual to cry when he told him that a person has “dignity” no matter if the person has homosexual tendencies “like this or has an attitude like this.” The man later told reporters that he understood the Pope’s words as an affirmation of his homosexuality and a message against those “who hold extreme religious views of anti-homosexuality.” Actually what Pope Francis said is hard to criticise, we should always approach the subject (in my opinion) from the fundamental teaching that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and therefore have equal dignity. But is this what the Pope is really about? In the same week, we have seen Cardinal " nighty-night baby " Tobin state that Church teaching on homosexuality is "unfortunate"!! It is beyond me frankly to understand how one can be a Cardinal in the Catholic Church and consider its' main t...

Cardinal Müller recently responded to some questions from Catholic World Report about his recent “ Manifesto of Faith” and reaction to it, as well as leadership in the Church, loss of faith in the Church, clericalism, and the Vatican Summit on sexual abuse. It is well worth a read here . Müller is one of a very few cardinals who has had the courage to stand up for Christ and the Church. I find this deeply heartening - there is hope!! What I find deeply disheartening is those who have uncritically (publicly at least) accepted Pope Francis and promote his direction where they once were happy to promote Pope Benedict XVI's direction. Most obviously, this draws me back to 1 Corinthians 3   where St. Paul speaks of ' men of the flesh' (3:1); immature Christians who possess the Spirit but are enslaved to worldly ways of thinking. The 'jealousy and strife' (3:3) exhibited in Corinth was proof that many of them were spiritual infants. Real Christian maturity pr...

Edward Pentin reports that Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has spoken out regarding Cardinal Pell's conviction saying allegations that led to Pell’s conviction are “absolutely unbelievable” and “without proof,”. Cardinal Müller also said the conviction is “absolutely against all reason and justice” and resembles an understanding of justice going back to the time of King Henry VIII. “Like everyone else, I cannot see the culpability,” Cardinal Müller told the National Catholic Register March 4. As former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy from 2014 to 2019 and effectively the Vatican’s treasury minister, Cardinal Pell was the third most senior figure in the Vatican. He is the most senior Church figure to have ever been convicted for sexual abuse. “Nobody witnessed it,” Cardinal Müller noted, and said that he could not believe it could happen with “all the other persons” probably present after Mass. The German ca...

Cardinal Gerhard Müller former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) at the Vatican speaks at length about the cover up of sex abuse by clergy, the Youth Synod getting underway in Rome this week and much more in this interview. Asked about the scandal surrounding abuse in the Church the Cardinal explains how this abuse comes from a breakdown of morality in society, a rejection of the sixth commandment. This breakdown has also entered the Church as well. Cardinal Müller clearly states that the abuse crisis is a homosexual crisis, he is clear about the statistics involved. Müller also says the Pope's suggestions that abuse is down to "clericalism" is nonsense. It is a violation of the Sixth Commandment. Cardinal Müller says with respect to Archbishop Vigano's testimonies , he always sought to broker a reconciliation between Pope Francis and Archbishop Vigano, his testimony in this interview continuously appeals to an open process: as the a...

Further to the brave statement from ALL the bishops of Kazakhstan, Vaticanista Marco Tosatti — a respected expert on inside matters in Rome — noted that a popular Italian blog was reporting that Pope Francis is preparing a counterattack against them and the two Italians. Anonimi Della Croce ("Anonymous of the Cross"), in a post titled "The Quiet Before the Storm," posted yesterday: My source in the Vatican told me that last night [Pope Francis] stayed in Santa Marta with several Vatican "press officers" and various "advisers" for a meeting on how to deal with this new and "unexpected" Correction from the Bishops of Astana. The source told me that [the pope] was furious. He went on a rampage — because he cannot stand any opposition. They heard him scream: "They will regret it! They will regret it bitterly!" It goes on to summarise the pope's proposals as a "campaign of denigration" against the bishop...

In this EWTN interview with the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, we hear (at about 09:05) Cardinal Müller saying as a Catholic theologian that the bishops making their own interpretations, going in their own directions is "not good...not Catholic" ... "We don't have two Magisteriums...this understanding could make damage [sic] for the Catholic Church" . he says that the Pope uses his authority to give the summary of the synod and it is not Catholic that we then have bishops' conferences' giving interpretations of the interpretation. This is not the way we do things. Cardinal Müller also appears to confirm, with some emotion, that the Pope summarily dismissed three employees of the CDF as reported by the respected Vaticanista Marco Tosaatti in January.

But this is too little too late I'm afraid! More insight into this disastrous papacy courtesy of the now ex-head of the CDF, has come to light in an interview with Bavarian daily Passauer Neue Presse. Now he has been cast aside in favour of more malleable material, lets hope Cardinal Müller finds his voice! He clearly tried to walk a narrow line while in office , criticising the dubia cardinals while upholding an orthodox line on Amoris laetitia. His efforts at diplomacy appear to have got him the sack and relieved him of an important opportunity for the Church, to speak out as head of the CDF against Amoris Laetitia. Even if he does choose to speak out now, he will only be the ex-head of the CDF. La Croix reports the Cardinal saying: “On the very last day of my mandate as CDF prefect, the pope informed me within one minute of his decision not to prolong me. He did not give a reason – just as he gave no reason for dismissing three highly competent members of the CDF...

Yesterday, Marie Collins, former member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors posted an open response to Cardinal Müller's dismissal of her allegations that his office apparently refused to reply to letters from victims of clergy sexual abuse, a decision which led Collins, the only abuse survivor on the pontifical commission about the matter, to resign her post. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said in an interview  with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper , it is "a misunderstanding" to think that his office "could deal with all the dioceses and religious orders in the world." "It is good that personal contact with victims be done by pastors in their area,"  Müller said "When a letter arrives, we always ask the bishop that he might take pastoral care of the victim, clarifying to him or her that the Congregation will do all that is possible to give justice." Having the Vat...

There's no doubt that we Catholics are in an unenviable mess right now, a mess caused directly by the person elected to guide us and speak clearly about the faith which was deposited by Christ and His Apostles. But given the doctrines of Papal Primacy and infallibility, can we criticise the Holy Father? Perhaps Steve Skojek answered this question more eloquently and expansively in May 2015 after Pope Francis made the deeply questionable appointment Timothy Radcliffe to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Of course things have got a good deal worse since then, but his words are just as valid, especially that: "Being afraid to speak the truth in times like these is a very dangerous thing indeed." It strikes me as a most common Catholic reaction to ignore problems, especially problems like this. Perhaps we think that God will take care of it? Or that to admit there are issues somehow damages the Church? Personally I think this is not a healthy attitude...