Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, leaves one scratching one’s head trying to decide what he really thinks. The article Vatican doctrine chief rebukes bishops using Amoris to justify ‘mortal sin' of adultery commences:ROME, February 1, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office has issued a strong rebuke of bishops who use the pope’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia to “justify situations against the will of God.”
“Adultery is always a mortal sin and the bishops who create confusion about this must study the doctrine of the Church,” Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, says in a new interview with the print journal Il Timone. “We have to help the sinner overcome sin and convert.”
Cardinal Müller's strong remarks are somewhat surprising given his strong criticism last month of the four Cardinals asking the pope for clarity on Amoris Laetitia. [ “Surprising”? Downright confusing, in my view.] The doctrinal prefect has strongly emphasized that the document can [True, it can, but how many have chosen a different interpretation, and whose job is it to clarify the interpretation? Clearly not the Maltese or Canadian bishops.] be interpreted in light of Church teaching, largely dismissing concerns about the actual document's role in fomenting confusion.
Cardinal Müller told Italian TV-channel TGCOM24 January 8 that the pope has not put the faith and Catholic teaching in danger and a formal correction of Amoris Laetitia, as contemplated by the dubia Cardinals, is “impossible.” [ Just declaring it to be impossible is no answer to faithful Catholics.]
“The Pope is basically forced to answer with ‘yes or no’. I don’t like that,” he said. [ Why? I think a lot of Catholics reckon they’d like it.]
In his latest interview with Il Timone, the cardinal says Amoris Laetitia must “clearly be interpreted in the light of the whole doctrine of the Church. [...] 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.” [ Has he written strongly to the Maltese and Canadian bishops?]
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