Gerhard Ludwig Müller (; born 31 December 1947) is a German

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. He served as the

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsib ...

(CDF) from his appointment by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

in 2012 until 2017. He was elevated to the rank of

in 2014. On 1 July 2017,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

named Luis Ladaria Ferrer to succeed Müller as Prefect of the CDF.

Early life

He was born in Finthen, a borough of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, then in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

. After graduating from Willigis Episcopal High School in Mainz, he studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

in Mainz,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and Freiburg,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. In 1977, he received his Doctorate of Divinity under Cardinal

Karl Lehmann Karl Lehmann (16 May 1936 – 11 March 2018) was a German Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mainz from 1983 to 2016, being elevated to Cardinal in 2001. He also served as Chairman of the Conference of the Germ ...

for his thesis on the Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a second doctorate in theology, qualifying him for a chair in 1985, also under Lehmann on the theology of the "communion of saints."

Priestly ministry

Müller was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

as a priest of the Diocese of Mainz,

, on 11 February 1978 by Cardinal

Hermann Volk Hermann Volk (27 December 1903 – 1 July 1988) was a German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mainz from 1962 to 1982, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1973. Early life and ministry Hermann Volk was born in ...

. He then served as a pastor of three parishes. In 1986, Müller was appointed to the chair of dogmatic theology of the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...

, where he remains an

honorary professor Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

Episcopate

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed him as Bishop of Regensburg,

, on 1 October 2002. He was ordained to the episcopacy on 24 November 2002, with Friedrich Wetter serving as the principal consecrator; his principal co-consecrators included

, Vinzenz Guggenberger, and Manfred Müller. Gerhard Ludwig Müller elected "'" ("Jesus is Lord") as his episcopal motto, which is derived from Romans 10:9. On 20 December 2007,

reappointed Müller for another five years as a member of the

(CDF). On 17 January 2009, he was also appointed as a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture. On 12 June 2012, Müller was appointed as a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education for a renewable term of five years and was also appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In the Conference of German Bishops, Müller was Chairman of the Ecumenical Commission, Deputy Chairman of the Commission of the Doctrine of the Faith, and a member of the World Church Commission. He was also Vice Chairman of the Association of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK) and the first President of the Society for the Promotion of Eastern Church Institute in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

. As a personal friend of

, he was mandated to prepare the publication of the ''Opera Omnia'', i.e., a series of books that will collect in a single edition all of Pope Benedict's writings.Vatican Insider: "A Liberation Theologian in the Holy Office?"
15 October 2011. Müller has written more than 400 works on dogmatic theology, ecumenism, revelation, hermeneutics, the presbytery, and the diaconate.

Curial service

On 2 July 2012,

appointed Müller to a five-year term as the Prefect of the

and made him an archbishop as well. He became ''ex officio'' the President of the

Pontifical Biblical Commission The Pontifical Biblical Commission () is a pontifical commission established within the Roman Curia to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of the Bible. Since 1988, it has been closely attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of t ...

, the International Theological Commission, and the Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei''. Müller said he hoped to halt the "growing polarization between traditionalists and progressives hichis threatening the unity of the Church and generating strong tensions among its members". He continued by commenting on "traditionalists against progressives or whatever you would call them. This must be overcome we need to find a new and fundamental unity in the Church and individual countries. Unity in Christ, not a unity produced according to a program and later invoked by a partisan speaker. We are not a community of people aligned to a party program, or a community of scientific research our unity is gifted to us. We believe in the one Church united in Christ." In an interview published on 1 February 2015, Müller objected to the criticism of the church for its mishandling of clerical sexual abuse cases and for its continued condemnation of contraception, same-sex marriage, and declared incapacity to ordain women. He said "Targeted discreditation campaigns against the Catholic Church in North America and also here in Europe have led to clerics in some areas being insulted in public. An artificially created fury is growing here which sometimes reminds one of a pogrom sentiment." His remarks were denounced by a variety of German politicians. On 24 November 2012 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. In November 2012, Müller said that traditionalist and progressive camps that see the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

as breaking with the truth both espouse a "heretical interpretation" of the council and its objectives. What

had described as "the hermeneutic of reform, of renewal in continuity" is, for Müller, the "only possible interpretation according to the principles of Catholic theology." On 19 February 2014, Müller was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. In 2015, Müller described how he viewed the role of the CDF when the pope was not a theologian as Pope Benedict XVI had been. He said: "The arrival of a theologian like Benedict XVI in the chair of St. Peter was no doubt an exception. ...Pope Francis is also more pastoral and our mission at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is to provide the theological structure of a pontificate."

Andrea Tornielli Andrea Tornielli (born 19 March 1964, in Chioggia) is an Italian journalist and religious writer. Biography A graduate in History of the Greek language, at the University of Padua, in December 1987, Tornielli became a Roman Catholic journalist ...

of ''Vatican Insider'' criticized Muller for inventing a new role not found in the statutes defining the CDF's role, adding that Muller was making far more public pronouncements than his predecessors were accustomed to. On 1 July 2017,

named Luis Ladaria Ferrer to succeed Müller as Prefect of the CDF. Müller chose to retire rather than accept another Curial position. Müller criticised the way Pope Francis dismissed him as head of the CDF, calling it "unacceptable". He said that on the last working day of his five-year term, Pope Francis informed him "within a minute" that he would not be reappointed to another term. "He did not give a reason. Just as he gave no reason for dismissing three highly competent members of the CDF a few months earlier." Later that month a report commissioned by the Diocese of Regensburg sharply criticized Müller's handling while bishop there of cases of sexual abuse by priests. In the context of Pope Francis' encyclical '' Amoris laetitia'' and its allowance of divorced Catholics receiving Communion, Müller criticized Francis' papacy, and Latin American theology in general, for lacking theological rigour.

Cardinalate

On 22 February 2014,

made him Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Agnese in Agone. Pope Francis named him a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on 21 June 2021.

Views

''Amoris laetitia''

Following the publication of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation '' Amoris laetitia'' of

, Müller stated that the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

did not need to be corrected for false doctrine. Interviewed on 9 January 2017, Müller said that ''Amoris laetitia'' was "very clear" in its teaching. Müller said that

asks priests He said that in ''Amoris laetitia'' he "do snot see any opposition: On one side we have the clear doctrine on matrimony, and on the other the obligation of the church to care for these people in difficulty." However, in a second interview, Müller was asked whether the teaching reaffirmed in '' Familiaris consortio'' of

, which linked the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, remains valid.

stated that the divorced and civilly remarried were proscribed from the reception of

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

, except possibly when they determine to live "in complete continence". Müller said of this condition that, "Of course, it is not dispensable, because it is not only a positive law of John Paul II, but he expressed an essential element of Christian moral theology and the theology of the sacraments." Müller also stated that "''Amoris Laetitia'' must clearly be interpreted in the light of the whole doctrine of the Church." He has further stated that "I don’t like it it is not right that so many bishops are interpreting ''Amoris Laetitia'' according to their way of understanding the Pope's teaching. This does not keep to the line of Catholic doctrine."

Abortion

Müller has criticized politicians who support abortion rights, including President Joe Biden. He has stated that "To demand abortion as a human right cannot be surpassed in its inhuman cynicism."

Doctrinal immutability

Müller has defended the immutability of Catholic doctrine from the attempt to adapt it to contemporary lifestyles, which attempt might be described as '' aggiornamento''. He stated that such an approach introduces subjectivism and arbitrariness. In an interview with ''Die Tagespost'', he claimed that placing "lived realities" on the same level as scripture and

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

is "nothing more than the introduction of subjectivism and arbitrariness, wrapped up in sentimental and smug religious terminology." His comments have been interpreted as criticism of the "shadow council" when bishops and experts from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

met in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to discuss how the church could adapt its pastoral approach to contemporary culture, especially contemporary opinions of human sexuality.

Liberation theology

In an interview by the German daily ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (FAZ), Müller said that

"is not so much a liberation theologian in the academic sense but, as far as pastoral work is concerned, he has close ties with liberation theology's concerns. What we can learn from him is the insight that there is no pastoral work without profound theology and vice versa." In the 1980s, the CDF under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger attacked certain forms of liberation theology as borrowing "from various currents of Marxist thought." But during a visit to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

in 1988, then-professor Müller discussed it with his friend and teacher Gustavo Gutiérrez, regarded as the "father" of Latin American liberation theology, who convinced him of its orthodoxy. Müller explained that liberation theology focused on orthopraxis, "the correct way of acting in a Christian fashion since it comes from true faith," congruent with the Gospel for the Poor, i. e., "for those on the periphery", to borrow the terminology that

has repeatedly used. Müller said: "How can we speak of the love and mercy of God in face of the suffering of so many people who don't have food, water, health care, who don't know how to offer a future to their children. ...This is possible only if we are also willing to be with the people, to accept them as brothers and sisters, without paternalism from on high."

Pachamama affair

Following the 2019 Pachamama affair, Cardinal Müller broke with Pope Francis and defended the assailants who threw a statue resembling

Pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Making ...

into a river. He stated that "The great mistake was to bring the idols into the church, not to put them out."

Protestant churches

In a speech in October 2011, while quoting '' Unitatis Redintegratio'' of the

regarding

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

, Müller stated 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'."

''Traditionis custodes''

Cardinal Müller has been critical of '' Traditionis custodes'', the ''

motu proprio In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term '' sua sponte'' for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a d ...

'' apostolic letter published by Pope Francis restricting the use of the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass (liturgy), Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in Editio typica, typical editions of the Roman Missal published from ...

; having authored an analysis of the letter for the online publication The Catholic Thing. Müller has criticised the letter as "harsh" and contrasted the efforts of the Pope to curtail traditionalist Catholics with his response to the German

Synodal Path The Synodal Path ( or ''Synodaler Weg'', sometimes translated as Synodal Way) is a series of conferences of the Catholic Church in Germany to discuss a range of contemporary theological and organizational questions concerning the Catholic Churc ...

writing, "Instead of appreciating the smell of the sheep, the shepherd here hits them hard with his crook." He also contrasted the suppression of the Tridentine Mass with the supposed introduction of pagan elements within the liturgy at the

Amazon Synod The Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region (), commonly referred to as the Amazon synod (), met in Rome from 6 to 27 October 2019. Pope Francis announced on 15 October 2017 that a special assembly of the Synod of Bishops would work "to ident ...

held in 2019: "The paganization of the Catholic liturgy ��through the mythologization of nature, the idolatry of environment and climate, as well as the

spectacle, were rather counterproductive for the restoration and renewal of a dignified and orthodox liturgy reflective of the fulness of the Catholic faith." Müller was also critical of the elements of the document that seek to ascertain the assent of traditionalist Catholics to the legitimacy of the

, despite the fact that many teachings of the Council are "being heretically denied in open contradiction to Vatican II by a majority of on-traditionalistGerman bishops and lay functionaries (even if disguised under pastoral phrases)."

US Leadership Conference of Women Religious

In 2012, Müller and the

initiated an investigation of the

Leadership Conference of Women Religious The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is one of two associations of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States (the other being the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious). LCWR includes ov ...

. The member congregations of the Conference were ordered to review their statutes and reassess their plans and programs."US Catholic Nuns Criticised in Vatican Report on LCWR", BBC News, 15 April 2013
. The investigation was controversial, and was terminated by Pope Francis in April 2015, who "shrewdly let the nuns' case fade from his agenda". The investigation embittered many American Catholics "against what they perceive as heavy-handed tactics by Rome against U.S. sisters who provide critical health care, education and other services for the poor."

Manifesto of Faith

In February 2019, Müller issued a "Manifesto of Faith" to Catholic media outlets. It is viewed as an attack on Pope Francis (but, in reality, is a defense of the Church and her constant teachings), who removed Mueller from his role in a senior Vatican post. For the most part the manifesto represents a re-stating of the church teachings, such as celibacy for priests and the church's lack of authority to ordain women to the priesthood. One section appeared to repudiate Pope Francis's effort to open communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, an effort deplored by more conservative Catholics.

Clerical sexual abuse

In 2012,

Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States. Barbara Blaine, a survivor o ...

criticized Müller's appointment to the CDF because he had reinstated Peter Kramer in parish ministry after Kramer was convicted in 2000 of sexually abusing children. Kramer had completed court-ordered therapy. Müller did not inform those in Kramer's new parish of his past history. Müller had apologized in 2007 for mishandling the case. In 2016, Fritz Wallner, a former chair of the lay diocesan council in

, alleged that Müller as Bishop of Regensburg had "systematically" thwarted the investigation of abuse in the "

Regensburger Domspatzen The Regensburger Domspatzen (literally: Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows) is the cathedral choir at the Regensburg Cathedral in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The boys' choir dates back to 975, and consists of boys and young men only. They perform in ...

" boys' choir.

Georg Ratzinger Georg Ratzinger PA (15 January 19241 July 2020) was a German Catholic priest and musician, known for his work as the conductor of the Regensburger Domspatzen, the cathedral choir of Regensburg. He was the elder brother of the Pope Emeritus B ...

's brother, led the choir from 1964 to 1994. Müller insisted that neither the church nor its bishops were responsible for abusers. In February 2012, he said that "if a schoolteacher abuses a child, it is not the school nor the Ministry of Education that are to blame." He maintained that only the perpetrator is guilty. In 2016, a commission of 12 members was instituted to address the history of abuse and its cover-up in the boys' choir, a move critics viewed as long overdue. Wallner called for the church to purge any person associated with Müller, who had overseen the church's response to the allegations. In July 2017, a comprehensive report commissioned by the Diocese of Regensburg on abuse at the boys choirs said that Müller had "clear responsibility for the strategic, organizational and communicative weaknesses" of the church's response when the abuses were first reported. Müller was included in a suit in France for his handling of the case of Cardinal

Philippe Barbarin Philippe Xavier Christian Ignace Marie Barbarin (born 17 October 1950) is a French Roman Catholic prelate who was the Archbishop of Lyon from 2002 to 2020. He was made a cardinal in 2003. He was charged in 2017 and convicted in 2019 of failing ...

, Archbishop of Lyon. Barbarin was eventually acquitted in June 2020.

Honors

Orders

* : Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (OESSH) * House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George of the branch of Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria

Academia

* :

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from the

Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin ( pl, Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, la, Universitas Catholica Lublinensis Ioannis Pauli II, abbreviation KUL), established in 1918. It is the only private college in Poland with the s ...

in September 2004, in recognition of his outstanding scientific and didactic activity * :

from the

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Pontifical Catholic University of Peru ( es, link=no, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic Church, being the oldest private ...

on 24 September 2008

Other

* ,

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

First Class awarded by Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer on 28 May 2009

References

External links

*
Gerhard Ludwig Müller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Müller, Gerhard Ludwig 1947 births Cardinals created by Pope Francis 21st-century German cardinals Living people Members of the Congregation for Catholic Education Members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Pontifical Council for Culture Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Roman Catholic bishops of Regensburg

Early life

Priestly ministry

Episcopate

Curial service

Cardinalate

Views

''Amoris laetitia''

Abortion

Doctrinal immutability

Liberation theology

Pachamama affair

Protestant churches

''Traditionis custodes''

US Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Manifesto of Faith

Clerical sexual abuse

Honors

Orders

Academia

Other

See also

References

External links