Der Scharfmacher hat ausgedient

ROM
Spiegel

[In connection with the postsynodal papal letter “Amoris Laetitia”, Cardinal Müller criticized the pope’s position on the question of the communion for newly married divorced persons. Francis allowed them to do so in individual cases. Muller stated that no one, not even the Pope, could alter the dogmatic doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage.
On the occasion of the family code of 2014, Miiller had signed the “Letter of the 13 Cardinals”, which raised concerns about a weakening of the traditional Catholic family policy.
In May 2016, Francis announced to have the women’s authorization of the deacon’s office examined. Müller categorically dismissed a deaconess ordination, as did women in the priesthood.
The Prefect is said to have hindered the curia reform initiated by Francis against corruption and mismanagement.
In the case of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Mueller lamented a campaign against the clergyman who was removed from his diocese in 2014 because of the scandal for his 31 million-euro bishop’s house. That someone would be “so degraded” was “immoral, something we had in Germany before in a very dark epoch,” said Müller. For Pope Francis, who preaches poverty, it was an affront.
As prefect of the Congregation for the Faith, Müller was responsible for the clearing-up of abuse. Pope Francis proclaimed a “zero-tolerance policy” after the great scandals of 2010. Müller spoke of “individual cases” and denounced a pogrom mood against the church.
During his time as bishop of Regensburg (2002 to 2012), the cardinal is said to have delayed the investigation of the abuse scandal at the Domspatzen. He always denied it.
A abuse in Riekofen, which was dealt with in 2010 harmed Müller’s reputation in the long term. The bishopric had kept a secret that a pastor was convicted of child abuse. After rebelling, Miiller dismissed an apology in the name of the church and said: “The responsibility for the deed is borne by the perpetrator.”
Mary Collins, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children and herself survivor of sexual abuse by an Irish priest, resigned her office just a few months ago. Among other things, she gave a “shameful lack of cooperation” with Cardinal Müller.]

Der Finanzchef des Vatikans lässt sein Amt wegen Missbrauchsvorwürfen ruhen, jetzt muss auch Glaubenshüter Kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller seinen Hut nehmen. Überraschend? Wohl kaum.

Von Annette Langer

Die Aufgaben der jahrhundertealten Glaubenskongregation hat Kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller einmal so umrissen: Das Wichtigste sei, “dass wir dem Heiligen Vater in seinem Lehramt dienen und uns um Delikte gegen den Glauben oder die Heiligkeit der Sakramente kümmern”, sagte er 2015 im Interview mit der “Zeit”.

Das klingt devot und dienstbeflissen – dennoch hat der einflussreiche Präfekt nun offenbar ausgedient. Müllers Amtszeit endet fristgerecht nach fünf Jahren, zum 2. Juli. Warum der Vatikan in Zukunft auf die Mitarbeit des 69-Jährigen verzichten wird, ist nicht bekannt.

Einige Kommentatoren nannten den Schritt überraschend – tatsächlich scheint die Verabschiedung nur eine logische Konsequenz aus den überdeutlichen politischen Differenzen zwischen Papst Franziskus und dem Mann an der Spitze der Glaubenskongregation zu sein.

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