Today the Holy See has announced the appointment of Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller of Regensburg is going to the CDF as Prefect
From Bishop Muller's Wiki entry
Clerical celibacyIn response to controversial reactions to comments by Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg that, while clerical celibacy is a gift but not theologically necessary, but that it would be a "revolution" if the celibacy tradition within the Latin Rite Catholic Church were abandoned, Müller said: "The Second Vatican Council made clear in Article 16 of the "Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests" what the decisive requirements are".
EucharistIn 2002, bishop Müller published the book "Die Messe - Quelle des christlichen Lebens" (St. Ulrich Verlag, Augsburg). In the book, he says : "In reality, the body and blood of Christ do not mean the material components of the human person of Jesus during his lifetime or in his transfigured corporality. Here, body and blood mean the presence of Christ in the signs of the medium of bread and wine."
Liberation theologyMüller was also a pupil of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the “father” of Latin-American liberation theology, with whom he has a long and close friendship. Commenting on Guitierrez, Müller stated: "The theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez, independently of how you look at it, is orthodox because it is orthopractic and it teaches us the correct way of acting in a Christian fashion since it comes from true faith." It is important to note that Gutiérrez’s thoughts were never censored by the Holy See although it was asked that he modify a few of his writings.[5]
MariologyIn his 900-page work "Katholische Dogmatik. Für Studium und Praxis der Theologie" (Freiburg. 5th Edition, 2003), Müller says that the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is "not so much concerned with specific physiological proprieties in the natural process of birth [...], but with the healing and saving influence of the grace of the Savior on human nature."
Status of Protestant communitiesIn a speech he gave in October 2011, Müller said that "the Catholic Magisterium is far from denying an ecclesial character or an ecclesial existence to ‘the separated Churches and ecclesial Communities of the West".[7]
16 comments:
My guess is that the Pope needs someone who can deal with the sexual scandals within the continental Church without causing a revolution. His predecessor, the American Levada, was chosen to deal with the American scndal.
Pope Benedict XVI would never appoint anyone who does not have similar views to himself. I don't think that we need be concerned.
Dear Father, I was in the library recently and read a couple of Mueller's articles in Stimmen der Zeit. I would not jump to any hasty conclusions about him being a liberal.
I meant to say also: put not your faith in Wikipedia. Unless,that is you know that Mueller wrote or approved the entry- theological politics in Germany is very complex and the appointment of Mueller should I think be seen together with that of Gus DiNoia. Mueller has to revive a church and a theology in liberal meltdown and/or political difficulty from Berlin to the Ukraine.
Someone on Father Z linked the number of TLMs in this bishop's diocese. Very impressive.
I shall wait. I did read some of the comments on Rorate, some which seem like wonky criticisms, such as the one on the Virgin Mary's physical signs of virginity, which I do not think the Church has specifically defined in detail. As to his stand on ecumenism, he seems to be influenced by von Balthasar, as are most of the bishops of his generation, sadly. I wholly agree with Dominus Iesus...As to the Rorate notes on the Precious Blood, I would like to read those in context.
A nice person corrected me on the virgin birth quoting the CCC, but I still am not sure what that means. I need to learn German, as well.
Reading some of the comments on other blogs this morning I must admit that my heart sunk. However as Katie says - we must not put our faith in Wikipedia and having just read that Kung thinks the appointment 'catastrophic' I feel better now!
As a German I can assure you that Bishop Müller is comsidered right-wing in Germany and that the media is getinng furious over the appointment. By the way: Bishop Müllers coat of Arms bears the motto "Dominus Iesus". the reforms he undertook in his diocese stirred a lot of opposition under the ecclesiastical left wing. So do Not Be worried to much by some out of context citations. He max very well prove as rhe right man for this position.
Father, I read your blog and I follow. Thank You. Sincerely ralph Marie de largo 07/03/2012
Clearwater, florida
History has a habit of repeating itself. When a certain Ab. Ratzinger was appointed head of the CDF I was not impressed - remembering him as one part of the Rahner/Ratzinger liberal twins of Vatican II. Then I began to read what he had written since Vat II and my views changed radically. But that appointment led to him becoming Pope and I couldn’t be happier!
When a certain Ab. Levada was appointed head of the CDF, I was not just unimpressed, but angry. I couldn’t forget his whitewash of the goings on in the Santa Rosa diocese of Bp. Ziemann in California where Levada was administrator after Ziemann’s removal and disgrace. He refused to allow an investigation into the financial mismanagement of the diocese where millions of dollars were squandered. But Levada has done all right at CDF – even if I still have reservations about him.
Now we have Bp. Mueller and reservations about his background and writings. I don’t know much about Mueller, but as he is the Holy Father’s choice - and he knows him very well – I trust his judgment. Sometimes such an appointment changes a man and he grows into the position. It worked with the Apostles!
If you read the German Wikipedia entry on Gerhard Mueller he certainly does not come over as a liberal. If someone wants to trawl through his entire published opus (more than 400 titles) to find evidence of dodgy opinions, then good luck to them. The main problem with the Church in many parts of Germany and Austria is open dissent by a number of priests and a greater number of vociferous heterodox laity exemplified by the Wir sind Kirche tendency. Mueller cut them down to size in his diocese and didn't mince his words.
Another thing in his favour as far as the HF is concerned is his interest in and support for proper liturgical music.
Bishop Mueller is trusted by the Pope and that's enough for me. On the virginity of Mary he is clear in supporting the traditional teaching that Mary was a virgin throughout her life. He questions the physical understanding that some have put on this - that she gave birth with no pain, and with no damage to her hymen. I think this is a pious construct with no real basis in reality or tradition. He casts a similar eye over the Eucharist and points to the misunderstanding that some of the devout can have, that lacks a proper understanding of what a sacrament is. The eucharist is clearly not a small lump of the body of Jesus which walked the roads of Israel - if it were that there wouldn't be enough to go round.
And I had always assumed the perpetual virginity, both physical and spiritual were part of the teaching of many of the Fathers, Irenaeus, Tertullian onwards and taught explicitly with anathemas for those who denied it, by the Council's of the Lateran and Constantinople III.
Obviously the physical nature of Mary's Virginity is not unrelated to her spiritual virginity.
I am sure we are misreading Mgr Muller, or that he will explain.
I'm not even practicing Catholic anymore but it annoys me that many of us tend to dwell on things that should be left alone. The Blessed Virgin Mary was a virgin, that's doctrine isn't it? But why do people have to wonder about what happened to her intimate parts in the process? Can't we just leave well enough alone? I sometimes wonder if the Orthodox are right, that Latins tend to examine things too closely without regard for the due respect that the mysteries of God deserve.
To me virginity simply means the state of someone who has never had sex. That's the belief Catholics have in regard to Our Lady, that she didn't have sex before or after the conception of Jesus. A definition of virginity that relies on a physically intact hymen is, I think, too biological.
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