Gerhard Ludwig Müller

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Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller
Cardinal Müller at the funeral of Joachim Cardinal Meisner in Cologne (2017)
Cardinal coat of arms

Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller (born December 31, 1947 in Finthen , today in Mainz ) is a German theologian and Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church . He was Bishop of Regensburg from 2002 to 2012 and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017 .

Life

Gerhard Ludwig Müller was born as the son of the worker Martin Müller and his wife Lioba, b. Straub, born and grew up together with brother Günter and sisters Hildegard and Antonia in Finthen. After graduating from the Episcopal Willigis High School in Mainz, he studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz , the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg . In 1977 he started with Karl Lehmann with a dissertation on the subject of the church and sacraments in non-religious Christianity. Bonhoeffer's contribution to an ecumenical theology of sacraments for Dr. theol. PhD .

On October 3, 1977 Müller received the diaconate and was on 11 February 1978 in Mainz-Finthen by Hermann Cardinal Volk for priests ordained . He then worked in St. Nikolaus in Klein-Krotzenburg , St. Michael in Bürstadt and in St. Josef in Offenbach am Main as a chaplain and as a religion teacher at the Wolfgang Ernst Gymnasium in Büdingen and at the Gymnasium of the Wetterau district in Nidda .

academic career

Parallel to his pastoral work , Müller completed his habilitation with Karl Lehmann with a habilitation thesis on the subject of community and veneration of saints. Historical-systematic foundation of hagiology , which was adopted in 1985 at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg.

1986 Müller received a call to the Chair of dogmatics and history of dogma at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, where he still honorary professor is. His Catholic Dogmatics is among his more than 400 scientific publications . The best known for the study and practice of theology . Müller's research focuses on ecumenism , the modern age, the understanding of revelation, theological hermeneutics , priesthood and diaconate.

In addition, Müller has or had visiting professorships in Madrid , Santiago de Compostela , Cuzco , Rome , Philadelphia , Kerala , Salamanca , Lugano and São Paulo . In 1999 he worked as theological advisor ( Peritus ) to the 2nd Special Assembly for Europe and in 2001 to the Xth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops . From 1998 to 2002 he worked as a member of the International Theological Commission .

Coat of arms as the bishop of Regensburg

Bishop of Regensburg

Consecration

On October 1, 2002, Gerhard Ludwig Müller was appointed Bishop of Regensburg by Pope John Paul II . The Archbishop of Munich and Freising , Friedrich Cardinal Wetter, was ordained bishop on November 24, 2002 . Co- consecrators were the Bishop of Mainz, Karl Cardinal Lehmann, the auxiliary bishop in Regensburg, Vinzenz Guggenberger , and Müller's predecessor as Bishop of Regensburg, Manfred Müller . Present were u. a. also the Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger , Antonio María Rouco Varela , Paul Augustin Mayer OSB and Leo Scheffczyk .

His motto Dominus Jesus ("Jesus is the Lord") comes from the letter to the Romans ( Rom 10.9  EU ) and is also the title of a programmatic writing by the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and former Pope, Benedict XVI. , from the year 2000. In his bishop's coat of arms, he expresses his solidarity both with his home in Mainz and with his current diocese of Regensburg by integrating the coats of arms of both dioceses. According to Müller's own testimony, the bishop figure in the heart shield can be interpreted as the Mainz bishop and "apostle of the Germans" Bonifatius as well as Saint Wolfgang , who was bishop of Regensburg.

Pastoral work

Müller at the Christmas mass in Regensburg Cathedral (2006)

In November 2003, Bishop Müller founded a diocesan school foundation that has taken on the sponsorship of twelve church schools so far and thus secured their future. From 2003 to 2005 he visited the eight regions of the diocese intensively for over a week and sought contact with church and social people and institutions.

With a reform of the lay councils in November 2005, Müller reorganized the forms of lay cooperation at the diocesan, deanery and parish level. He justified this with pastoral necessities and with canon law . The chairman of the ZdK described the changes as “an unacceptable violation of the law”, but the apostolic signature as the highest church court finally established in the decree of the signature of February 28, 2007 that the Regensburg council reform was legal, and thus confirmed the resolution of the Congregation for the Clergy , March 2006.

From September 11 to 14, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited as part of his apostolic trip to Bavaria Regensburg and celebrated Holy Mass together with Bishop Müller on the Islinger Feld in front of 230,000 visitors.

At the suggestion of the bishop, the parishes of the dean's office in Regensburg / City carried out a city mission in Regensburg from 2008 to 2009 in cooperation with the Emmanuel Community . It began in two core parishes and continued in the other city parishes in 2009. Müller raised the Kötzting Whitsun Strike , which had existed for 600 years, to a Eucharistic procession , in which he himself took part every year. Again following an initiative by Müller, the Sailer Chapel in Regensburg Cathedral was prepared for celebrations on weekdays, the new cathedral organ was built, the west entrance was opened and the regular Sunday confession was introduced.

Supra-diocesan tasks

In the German Bishops' Conference , Müller was chairman of the ecumenical commission, deputy chairman of the faith commission and a member of the universal church commission . He also worked as the deputy chairman of the Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany and as the first chairman of the Association for the Promotion of the Eastern Church Institute Regensburg e. V.

From 2009 to 2012 he was Catholic chairman of the fourth phase of dialogue of the “International Lutheran / Roman Catholic Commission for Unity” on the subject of “Baptism and Growing Church Fellowship”.

Also in 2009, Bishop Müller began the theological talks between the Moscow Patriarchate and the German Bishops' Conference as the Catholic Chairman . He also chaired the "Joint Commission of the German Bishops' Conference and the Orthodox Churches in Germany ".

World Church tasks

The diocesan institute Pope Benedict XVI established by Bishop Müller in 2008 in the rooms of the seminary . based in Regensburg is on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. his complete works in 16 volumes. Since then, 13 volumes have been published. Archbishop Müller continued to act as editor after his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith .

On December 20, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI called him. also a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and on January 17, 2009 a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture . On June 12, 2012, he was appointed to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Congregation for Catholic Education . In addition, on November 24th of the same year he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Legal Texts .

On February 19, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as a full member of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches .

Archbishop Müller in conversation with young people after a pontifical office in Rome

Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and cardinal

On July 2, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI called Gerhard Ludwig Müller to the Roman Curia and appointed him as successor to William Joseph Levada Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei , the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission . He also awarded him the title of archbishop ad personam .

Pope Francis confirmed Gerhard Ludwig Müller in his office on September 21, 2013 and accepted him into the College of Cardinals in the solemn consistory on February 22, 2014 as a cardinal deacon with the titled deaconry Sant'Agnese in Agone .

Müller's tenure as head of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ended on time after five years on July 2, 2017. The Pope waived a possible extension. Müller criticized the Pope, who “informed him of his decision within a minute” and gave no reasons: “I cannot accept this style.” At the same time, he expressed his unbroken loyalty to Pope Francis, “as a Catholic, bishop and cardinal, like himself that belongs". Francis appointed Archbishop Luis Ladaria SJ to succeed him both as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei .

theology

Müller is considered an internationally renowned theologian. In his work as bishop he was controversial because of his interference in the work of local lay committees and because of his handling of the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and was viewed by some as a "conservative hardliner". On the other hand, he made a name for himself with his resolute action against right-wing radicalism and extremist tendencies within the traditionalist Pius Brotherhood and is a close friend of the namesake of liberation theology , the Peruvian Gustavo Gutiérrez . Within the world church, Müller is therefore regarded as a representative of some thoroughly progressive positions.

Church teaching post

Müller attaches particular importance to the authority of the ecclesiastical teaching office and the apostolic succession : The interpretation of the revealed will of Jesus Christ and thus the binding religious rules of the Roman Catholic Church is therefore solely for the bearers of the ordinary and extraordinary teaching office, i.e. the bishops, the pope and Reserved for ecumenical councils . In this sense, Müller points out that the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council (especially Lumen Gentium No. 25) are binding . For this reason, the church's traditional principles of belief could only be changed from within the church itself. In relation to critics, Müller takes a strictly legalistic point of view and accuses them of undermining not only the church's teaching post, but also Catholicism itself.

Belief and Relativism

Müller sharply criticizes relativism : the alleged tolerance of "religious and church pluralists" is in truth intolerance towards God and an expression of an "arrogance of creatures".

Social Justice and Liberation Theology

From 1988 to 2002 he worked for several weeks each summer in various South American countries, namely in Peru , there in particular in the Lares district in the Cusco region and in the slums of Lima .

He not only criticizes the living conditions of the impoverished population there and the prevailing social differences, but also the inactivity and lack of commitment in parts of the local clergy. He advocates a “theology of liberation” in the sense of Gustavo Gutiérrez, which should specifically aim to liberate people from poverty and indignity. Müller sees certain overlaps in terminology and analyzes of liberation theology and Marxism, and he rejects the ideological appropriation of the church by social revolutionary currents. In the book On the Side of the Poor - Theology of Liberation , co-authored with Gutiérrez and published in 2004 , Müller presents his thoughts and views on this topic.

In the sense of the Catholic social doctrine , he speaks out for a solidarity, fair and human society and for the principle of obligatory property. He advocates the caring welfare state , especially in old age and when sick; There are undoubtedly abuses, but generalizations should be avoided: criticizing people in need is not an issue for Christians. He saw the financial crisis as a crisis of meaning in materialism and an opportunity to turn around.

Ecumenism

In ecumenical dialogue, Müller is seen as a knowledgeable and uncompromising interlocutor. He dealt particularly intensively with the relationship with the Reformation churches. In Martin Luther's theology , he appreciates the Christocentric approach of his doctrine of justification and the emphasis on fundamental beliefs. Luther never wanted a split or even fragmentation of the (western) church, which Müller understands as a “wound on the body of Christ”. On the other hand, he expects - also with a view to the Luther anniversary 2017 - from the Protestant side a differentiated view of the reformer, for example regarding his relationship to the Jews, the peasants or the Pope. So it is high time "that the Protestant side officially distances themselves from Luther's claim that the Pope is the Antichrist ".

In principle, Müller is a proponent of ecumenical dialogue with the aim of overcoming the everyday problems of denominational division (for example in interdenominational marriages); this is particularly true of the situation in Germany. However, he clearly points out that this dialogue must include an equal approach to one another; In his view, the Protestant side is acting too briskly. In terms of content, he particularly criticizes the fact that the Protestant Church has moved away from its Reformation origins and instead follows an enlightenment impetus. Because of their baptism and the creed, evangelical Christians are “really our brothers and sisters in faith in Christ”, but the fundamental differences in crucial questions such as the Eucharist, ordination to priests and bishops or the understanding of the church itself cannot simply be ignored. A real church fellowship , a Communio ecclesiarum , can only be imagined by Müller under Catholic premises - not as submission, but as “fellowship with the Pope”. He also sees a common Eucharistic celebration only at the end of an ecumenical process; There could be exceptions in individual cases - provided that there was an episcopal dispensation.

Müller sees fewer problems - if only because of the comparable understanding of the church than the one, indivisible, in apostolic succession and a binding doctrine - with orthodoxy, which he expressly calls the “sister church”.

Interreligious Dialogue

Müller describes the Judeo-Christian relationship as “very positive and friendlier than it has been in 2000 years”. Anti-Semitism should be fought uncompromisingly - especially with regard to marginal currents of the Catholic Church such as the Pius Brotherhood . In relation to the 2009 withdrawal of the excommunication of the Bishop of the Pius Brotherhood and convicted Holocaust denier Richard Williamson , he defended Pope Benedict XVI. against criticism from the Central Council of Jews in Germany , but also admitted that "the case with Williamson went unhappy". In the Middle East conflict, he advises restraint: the Germans are "against the background of the history of Germany, not ideal advisers to Judaism".

Priestly ordination for married men

During his time as a theology professor in Munich, in 1992, looking back on a project trip to Peru that he had undertaken in 1988, Müller spoke out in favor of admitting married men to the priesthood: “There must also be opportunities in the many difficult-to-reach congregations or in the urban mass parishes religiously recognized and theologically trained fathers of families to ordain priests so that they can carry out the basic pastoral and liturgical services on site. ”Müller could imagine that community leadership teams could be formed from celibate and married priests, and explained:“ Such a thing New conception would not contradict the tradition of the church. Because loyalty to tradition does not mean that the church is in every case only committed to past history, but rather to future history, for which the church has to exercise its always identical mission to salvation. "

Gerhard Ludwig Müller in the public discussion

Conflict with critics within the church

Bishop Müller took action against groups such as Wir sind Kirche and the Regensburg Action Group with its Pipeline magazine . He also initiated disciplinary measures against several pastors.

At the 98th German Katholikentag 2012, Müller spoke about groups that accused the church of a lack of willingness to dialogue and change and who had demanded more rights of participation for women and laypeople as well as improvements for divorced and remarried people. The question is whether the so-called reform groups are really such. It could "not be that people who do not achieve anything of their own accord, attach themselves to the big events and bring a parasitic form of existence."

Conflicts with theologians

In October 2004, Bishop Müller withdrew the church teaching license from the Regensburg liturgy lecturer August Jilek , as he - according to Müller's statement - had considered leaving the church in letters. The Congregation of Bishops and the Conference of Bishops also spoke out in favor of withdrawal.

In February 2009 the bishop reprimanded the three Regensburg theology professors Sabine Demel , Burkard Porzelt and Heinz-Günther Schöttler , who were among the first to sign the "Petition Vatican II". According to Müller, this petition contained serious allegations against the Pope.

Reorganization of lay work in the diocese

In November 2005, Bishop Müller reorganized the parish councils and the diocesan lay apostolate for ecclesiastical and pastoral reasons . According to the new statutes, the pastor is now chairman of the parish council (PGR) and the PGR is an advisory body. Instead of the previous dean's council, there are different forms of cooperation at the dean's level, which should be determined by the respective tasks. The previous diocesan council will be replaced by a diocesan pastoral council and a diocesan committee. The members of the pastoral council - unlike the elected members of the diocesan council - are appointed by the diocesan bishop from the various church services and from elected PGR members in accordance with canon law. He should advise pastoral concerns and develop suggestions. The diocesan committee consists of elected representatives of the Catholic associations and clerical movements. Each organization sends its chairman or his deputy.

In addition, Müller wanted to forbid church workers to appeal to secular courts in internal church disputes.

The reactions to the reform were different: While the Cardinals Karl Lehmann and Friedrich Wetter and other bishops expressed themselves cautiously, the Central Committee of the German Catholics accused Müller of an “unacceptable violation of the law”. In response to this, Müller stopped the previous payments to the ZdK, but took them up again in 2007. In the decree of the highest Roman court of February 9, 2007, the action of the Regensburg bishop was declared lawful. In addition, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith expressly thanked him for “bringing the diocesan regulations fully in line with the requirements of the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council and the provisions of the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1983”.

Use against right-wing radicalism

Bishop Müller repeatedly protested against right-wing extremist statements and marches and repeatedly campaigned publicly for a ban on the NPD. In June 2006 he led a protest march through Regensburg and confirmed his opinion in the New Year's Eve 2007 sermon. In January 2007 he was among the first to sign a nationwide NPD ban campaign by Holocaust survivors. In January 2009 he gave the Holocaust denier Richard Williamson , Bishop of the Pius Brotherhood , a ban on all churches and institutions in the diocese. In October of the same year, Müller again called on the Regensburg city administration to ban a march by neo-Nazis : "In my opinion, demonstrations against generally recognized human rights must not be allowed," said the bishop.

Appointment of a convicted sex offender as pastor

In September 2007, there were public allegations against Bishop Müller after the Passauer Neue Presse had uncovered at the end of July that the priest Peter Kramer , who was convicted of the sexual abuse of an altar boy in Viechtach in 1999 , had been appointed as a parish administrator in autumn 2004 without informing the community concerned had relapsed in a relevant manner. In contrast, at a press conference on September 21, 2007, Bishop Müller referred to a seven-page, very detailed final report by the treating therapist, which - obtained from the court responsible for probation - had not found any pedophile fixation; The act of abuse was traced back to a unique, regressive behavior and concerns about a re-employment of the clergyman in pastoral care were denied. The judicial probation period had expired. As far as the guidelines “ On the procedure in the case of sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the area of ​​the German Bishops' Conference ” provided: “After serving his sentence, the perpetrator will no longer be assigned tasks that bring him into contact with children and young people”, Müller denied their applicability, since According to the report, the priest was not considered a pedophile .

The diocese contradicted media reports that the district court in 2004 only approved the use of the priest with a criminal record on the condition that he did not come together with children and young people. As the legal advisor of the diocese noted in a note on the file, during a telephone conversation on February 20, 2004, the judge “expressed no concerns” about the convicted person's involvement in pastoral care, based on the expert opinion and the fact that no 'ban on contact' was pronounced . "Observation by the dean and possibly contact with the therapist should still take place." On February 11, 2007, the diocese had received a letter from the director of the Viechtach district court , stating that the judge had no concerns about pastoral reassessment by phone of the convicted person when he does not come together with children and young people and is under supervision.

The parish administrator was taken into custody on August 30, 2007 and sentenced on March 13, 2008 to three years' imprisonment and placement in a psychiatric institution.

Legal dispute with the Humanist Union

On March 11, 2010, Müller was quoted in the Italian daily La Stampa as saying that Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was a member of the Humanist Union , that it was a kind of Freemasons' association that found pedophilia normal and wanted to exempt them from punishment. On April 13, 2010, the Humanist Union obtained an injunction from the Berlin Regional Court prohibiting Müller from further disseminating these claims.

Criticism of media coverage

Church abuse cases

In connection with reports on cases of abuse in Catholic institutions , Müller accused the media in a sermon on March 20, 2010 of a "campaign against the church", which reminded him of the hostility to the church during the Nazi era . At the same time he asked the faithful to remain loyal to the Church, "just as the Catholics were loyal back then". These statements, which are not included in the “pastoral word on the current situation”, which were also widely used, were heavily criticized. B. from the Central Council of Jews in Germany , who accused him of falsifying history , as well as parts of politics, whereby u. a. calls for resignation were also loud. There was also criticism within the church, e. B. by Curia Cardinal Walter Kasper , who asked him "not to point the finger at others, but [...] to put our own house in order", or Alois Glück , the chairman of the Central Committee of German Catholics , who stated that Müller's behavior was not helpful, but led to "that one or the other has the impression that there are forces in the church who ultimately do not want any clarification". Müller rejected this and said in 2012 that he wanted “his criticism of the reporting of individual media in no way to be seen as a doubt or even as a relativization of the victim reports”. Müller is accused of having prevented the investigation of the abuse cases in the Regensburger Domspatzen for five years.

The lawyer responsible for clearing up the cases, Ulrich Weber, sharply criticized Müller in his final report published on July 18, 2017; he has a "clear responsibility [for] strategic, organizational and communicative weaknesses" of the process he initiated in 2012. The abuse commissioner of the federal government, Johannes-Wilhelm Rörig , demanded an apology from Müller. Müller then demanded an apology from Rörig, because he was spreading "false statements and false information". Rörig rejected Müller's request. He is "extremely sorry for the victims of the acts of violence at the Regensburger Domspatzen that Cardinal Müller once again missed the chance to react empathically and compassionately." He missed a signal of appreciation and appreciation for those affected, to whom it "was largely thanks is that, after years of struggle, the processing process has now developed positively ”. The criminologist Christian Pfeiffer , who was supposed to lead the study on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Germany, but which was terminated by the German Bishops' Conference at the beginning of 2013, described, among other things, Bishop Müller as the driving force who wanted to change the contract at the time, "Up to downright censorship". The fact that Bishop Müller, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, should have "combated abuse on an international level" appeared to him as "very doubtful and also without any prospect of success".

Criticism of “pogrom mood” against the Catholic Church

In January 2013, Müller, in his capacity as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, criticized what he saw as a pogrom mood against the Catholic Church. In various media in Europe and North America "attacks are ridden against the Catholic Church, whose armament goes back to the struggle of totalitarian ideologies against Christianity". From these grows an "artificially generated anger, which occasionally already reminds of a pogrom mood". He rejected criticism of the Catholic Church.

Federal Minister of Justice Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger criticized Müller's choice of the term “pogrom mood” and accused him of what she believed to be a “tasteless comparison with the Holocaust ” and “lack of historical sense”. Such comparisons are in bad taste when it comes to different societal views on the role of marriage, the family and registered civil partnerships. In her response, she called on the clergy to finally face “pressing problems”. The federal chairwoman of the Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen party Claudia Roth and the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) also criticized Müller's comparison as historically inaccurate. Roth said it was "absolutely unacceptable and dangerously forgotten to speak of a pogrom mood against the Catholic Church", while the HVD described the comparison as an "outrageous distortion of facts", which not only affected the victims of the past, but also the surviving victims of the grievances and degrading wrongdoing in the Church.

The international director of the American-Jewish Committee for Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi David Rosen , defended Bishop Müller against Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger's accusation. It is clear to every reasonable person who reads Archbishop Müller's words that a comparison with the Shoah was by no means his intention. Josef Schuster , the Vice-President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany , suggested to Müller, however, to withdraw the comparison as quickly as possible. If Müller compares criticism of the church, which can also be exaggerated, with a pogrom mood, then he has obviously not internalized what a pogrom means. That is why such a comparison is "unacceptable for all the honorable motives in the new role of archbishop". Alois Glück , President of the Central Committee of German Catholics , called Müller's statements "not helpful". He admitted that although there are “more aggressive tones towards the church and the religious”, this is “thank God not the general climate”.

Debate about Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst

In the case of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (Bishop of Limburg from 2008 to March 2014), who was criticized for the high costs of his bishop's residence and for other reasons, Müller spoke of a media campaign in autumn 2013. Müller declared that Tebartz-van Elst would remain in office. In October 2013, Müller alleged that the allegations were "inventions by journalists". It is not the bishop who is to blame for the high costs or increases in costs of the bishop's residence, but his employees. A report published in March 2014 by a commission set up by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) found no evidence of the latter.

Legal dispute with Michael Schmidt-Salomon

At the end of May 2008, in a sermon in Tirschenreuth, Müller criticized Richard Dawkins and the writer Michael Schmidt-Salomon as a representative of “aggressive atheism”. In his children's book Where to Go to God? asked the little piglet "would all who believe in God be placed below the spiritual level of a pig". Logically, the Christian belief in God is denied any ethical and humanistic impact. “Man is available to other people. Why should infanticide, abortion and therapeutic cloning be banned? Using the example of mountain gorillas who kill some of their young, the question is asked: Why shouldn't humans do that too? What is reprehensible about it if the natural instinct enters it? ”In the reproduction of the sermon on the diocese's website, the passage“ Using the example of mountain gorillas… ”was replaced by another, which quoted him literally, in response to Schmidt-Salomon's complaint:“ So “Natural” infanticide is that no sensible person would think of ethically legitimizing him for this reason. [...] The natural law principle does not help us if we are looking for sensible ethical rules ”. The Bavarian Administrative Court certified Müller and the diocese with a judgment of February 24, 2011 that they had "not fulfilled their duty of care, objectivity and truthfulness" and Schmidt-Salomon through the use and dissemination of "a statement not made by him [...] violated his personal rights ”. The diocese therefore had to reimburse Schmidt-Salomon for the legal fees he incurred in this connection. A revision was not allowed. The complaint that the diocese lodged with the Federal Administrative Court was rejected by decision of August 8, 2011. The matter has no fundamental significance. As far as the diocese wants to be clarified whether a preacher may make incorrect factual assertions regardless of the general personality rights of the person concerned, this question should be answered in the negative in accordance with the lower court on the basis of the highest court rulings. The assumption that religious freedom of expression, especially in the context of a sermon, enjoys absolute priority over the concerns of privacy and honor protection, is wrong.

Attitude to donum vitae

Bishop Müller repeatedly expressed rejection of the pregnancy conflict counseling provided by donum vitae , which contributed to abortion free of punishment by issuing counseling certificates, and in return demanded higher state subsidies for the church counseling centers that do not issue such a certificate. Müller made his stance clear in 2011 by not allowing the former chairman of the Central Committee of German Catholics, Hans Maier , to present his autobiography in church rooms on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. Maier had Pope Benedict XVI. in it a "Pilate attitude" accused of advising pregnant women.

Manifesto of Faith Don't let your heart get confused! (Joh 14,1)

On February 10, 2019, Cardinal Müller published a manifesto of faith based largely on articles from the Catechism of the Catholic Church . According to Müller, the aim of the publication was to offer a brief summary of the truths of the Catholic faith "in view of the spreading confusion in the teaching of the faith". The concise letter contains an exposition of the Catholic faith on the topics of divine unity and the Trinity and the revelation of God in Jesus Christ , Church , Sacramental Order , Moral Law and Eternal Life as well as the call to "walk the path of Jesus Christ with determination, to obtain eternal life by obeying His commandments ”. The way in which Cardinal Müller uses the Holy Scriptures to underpin his statements in this manifesto was expressly contradicted by the Munich New Testament scholar Gerd Häfner in his contribution "How Cardinal Müller's Bible gets under the wheels". The former cardinal of the Curia, Walter Kasper, criticizes Müller's remarks as a “manifesto of faith that causes confusion” and spreads half-truths.

Comparison of the Synodal Way with the Enabling Law

In a reaction to the first synodal assembly of the Roman Catholic Church's Synodal Way at the end of January 2020, Müller went so far as to drastically compare the procedure at the constituent assembly with the Enabling Act of the German Reichstag of 1933, with that of the elected Reichstag of the government of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP had given the blanket authority to enact laws without the consent of the Reichstag and Reichsrat and without the countersignature of the Reich President. Numerous personalities from the Catholic Church in Germany reacted with sharp criticism and said that they were stunned, according to the Essen Vicar General Klaus Pfeffer . The spiritual companion of the Synodal Way, Bernd Hagenkord SJ , called Müller's comparison “poisonous” and “destructive”. Anyone who expresses himself in this way "either has no idea of ​​history or acts willfully poisoning any debate". With Nazi comparisons of Christians against Christians it ends: “That is not conservative, preserving. That is destructive, and that is the exact opposite of preserving. ”Müller's statements are historically forgotten and inhuman.

Opponent of Pope Francis

Cardinal Müller, as an “arch-conservative critic of Pope Francis”, is counted among the best-known opponents of the incumbent Pope, the most militant of which is the former US nuncio and Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò .

Public support of conspiracy myths about the corona crisis

Gerhard Ludwig Müller, along with other opponents of Pope Francis, is one of the signatories of an appeal by Carlo Maria Viganò on May 8, 2020 with the Latin heading “Veritas liberabit vos!” ( The truth will set you free , according to Jn 8.32  EU ) on the Internet portal kathisch.de of the German Bishops' Conference as a "conglomerate of conspiracy myths and pseudoscience". The appeal complains that under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rights and fundamental freedoms of many citizens are "disproportionately and unjustifiably restricted"; Public health should not become an alibi "to free civil authorities from their duty to act wisely for the common good". The text refers to growing doubts about the actual risk of infection from the coronavirus and describes the reporting of the pandemic as " alarmism ". The containment measures taken fostered the interference of "foreign powers" with serious social and political consequences, according to the text signed by Gerhard Ludwig Müller. There are forces "who are interested in creating panic in the population" and who promote the "isolation of individuals" "in order to be able to manipulate and control them better". This is "the disturbing prelude to the creation of a world government beyond control." The letter calls for not allowing "centuries of Christian civilization to be wiped out under the pretext of a virus in order to establish a despicable technocratic tyranny in which people whose names and faces are unknown can decide the fate of the world" . It also warns that “dubious economic interests would influence the decisions of governments and international authorities”. This claim is aimed at the pharmaceutical industry, which is assumed to secure "higher profits" through COVID-19 and therefore to "ostracize" "drugs that have been shown to be effective" and are "inexpensive". The paper also speaks of an “impending vaccination requirement”.

The Essen Vicar General Klaus Pfeffer immediately declared that everyone who had signed this appeal was exposing themselves; He was stunned which “crude conspiracy theories without facts and evidence, combined with right-wing populist struggle rhetoric that sounds frightening”, are being spread in the name of church and Christianity and supported by Müller. Various media also referred to the theses expressed as conspiracy theories . The appeal "does not save on whispering alarmism and set pieces of conspiracy myths and structural anti-Semitism ", since it sees "the free peoples under the knack of ominous and unnamed economic and political interests".

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference , Bishop Georg Bätzing , stated on May 9, 2020 that the German Bishops' Conference would not comment on any calls made by individual bishops outside Germany, and emphasized that the Bishops' Conference's assessment of the pandemic was fundamentally different from the call of May 8 distinguish. The German bishops had declared on the corona pandemic that the restrictions, including those for church services, were "sensible and responsible". At the same time, they believed that the restrictions could be relaxed again with responsibility and a sense of proportion.

The local bishop of Regensburg, Rudolf Voderholzer , expressly adopted the position of the bishops' conference and thus distanced himself from the position of his doctoral supervisor and predecessor Müller. Ruhr bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck wrote on Facebook that “the church could make a clear contribution to overcoming the Corona crisis by using solidarity as a clear sign of determination to work for the common good and social justice”. This contradicts the positioning of "those populists and other conspiracy theorists who want to see all efforts to contain the pandemic as a pretext to establish a hateful technocratic tyranny and to wipe out Christian civilization". This must be clearly opposed on the part of the church, "regardless of who formulates such". The Archbishop of Hamburg , Stefan Heße , and the We Are Church movement also criticized the paper. Gebhard Fürst , Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart , explained: "Anyone who reinterprets the efforts of politics to protect human lives from the coronavirus into a dubious world conspiracy is playing with fire." Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige turned against a denigration of the precautionary measures, "Spread by conspiracy theorists, angry citizens and individual commentators and politicians". Even some “extreme church representatives” suddenly acted as “pseudo-scientists, anti-vaccination and esotericists ”.

The Protestant Bayreuth regional bishop Dorothea Greiner also sharply criticized Viganò's paper in a service on May 10, 2020. A church that insists on enforcing its freedom, but does not have the protection of the weak in mind, is not a church of Jesus Christ. The authors of the letter are "misguided and misguided people". "There speak people who are primarily concerned with the power and freedom of the church and who are far removed from the power of the love of Jesus".

The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics , Thomas Sternberg , asked the following question with regard to Müller: “What in the world brings a person who was once a well-respected professor in Munich and an important bishop for Regensburg , an important cleric to ruin his entire reputation in his old days by signing something like that? ”On May 12, 2020, the appointed Bishop of Augsburg , Bertram Meier , joined the ranks of critics :“ I almost feel talking about a world conspiracy here as cynical. ”He was thinking above all of the many people who died in old people's homes in his region after a Covid 19 infection. And: "Everyone has to be able to express their opinion freely in a free society, but in our diocese we have lost a priest to Corona." The Inter- Franciscan Working Group of the Franciscan Orders was dismayed that church dignitaries were spreading conspiracy theories; the polarization in society is increasing and conspiracy theories spread dramatically with "unbearable rhetoric". It is unacceptable that representatives of the Catholic Church infected by this "join this non-sense and damage the Christian mission of salvation".

The head of communications for the Archdiocese of Vienna and spokesman for the Archbishop of Vienna and then Chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn , Michael Prüller , described in the church newspaper Der Sonntag essential parts of the appeal as “unchristian scaremongering”. Opposition is "permissible and important", but it is "dishonest to claim a conspiracy without giving the facts to be raised and without defining the 'forces' that want to enslave us". “Without a single document”, the “politicians, scientists, media people and bishops are supposed to be assuming that they are not acting responsibly, but are either unsuspecting stooges or perhaps even world conspirators themselves”. The theologian Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel, who teaches in Vienna, attested that the letter had a “destructive battle rhetoric”. He also criticized the introductory sentence, where the wording "In a time of the greatest crisis we shepherds of the Catholic Church, on the basis of our mandate, it is our sacred duty ..." was apparently intended to give the impression of an official church document. Prüller-Jagenteufel saw this as a " hubris " of the episcopal signatories, most of whom are emeritus , and stated: "The pastors of the church are the local bishops, the bishops' conferences, the Pope." Heinz Niederleitner referred in the KirchenZeitung Diocese Linz , that Müller "was once responsible as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to keep sectarianism incompatible with common sense away from the Church". Now he is signing “a text with a textbook example of a conspiracy theory: unnamed dark forces working on world domination. What a descent for Müller and what a mandate for the Church to preach more reason ”.

Müller himself defended his signature on the letter in the weekly newspaper Die Tagespost and said that interested church groups had used the paper “to use it to generate indignation against their supposed opponents”. "Everyone now calls everyone who thinks differently conspiracy theorists," said Müller. His focus was on the "partly inadequate church reaction". He sees himself wrongly at the center of criticism, because he was "as a cardinal somehow seen as the main prominent figure in this text". However, he only agreed to this in general after a telephone request in order to contribute to the careful handling of the journalistic and political side effects of the pandemic in some non-democratic countries. He was of the opinion that the paper signed by cardinals, bishops and lay Catholics was "deliberately misunderstood". For some, the call is "the found food, to react to indignation needs with absurd reproaches and insinuations and to mutually confirm". In an interview in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit published on May 14, 2020, he said not a single line of the letter was from him. He had signed so as not to give Archbishop Viganò a harsh refusal when he asked for his signature, because Viganò had been "played badly" and he was very isolated. He understands the content of the paper as an appeal for reflection. Withdrawing the signature because of the criticism of the paper would be "the cowardly option" for him. But neither did he deviate from the conspiracy theories expressed in the text. In the Catholic broadcaster EWTN , Müller also said that one must "take a position against the instrumentalization of this virus and this global crisis by some dictatorships or by ideological groups that are now using the opportunity to suppress the church and to suppress the sacramental life of the church".

honors and awards

Publications

  • Bonhoeffer's Theology of the Sacraments (Frankfurter Theologische Studien 28). Verlag Josef Knecht, Frankfurt am Main 1979, ISBN 3-7820-0439-6 .
  • John Henry Newman encounter (witnesses of the faith). St. Ulrich Verlag, Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-929246-54-6 .
  • Gustavo Gutiérrez , Gerhard Ludwig Müller: At the side of the poor: Theology of liberation . Sankt-Ulrich-Verlag, Augsburg 2004, ISBN 3-936484-40-6 .
  • Sent from the father. Impulses of an incarnational Christology for the question of God and the image of man. Pustet, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 978-3-7917-1957-3 .
  • The Mass: source of Christian life. Sankt-Ulrich-Verlag, Augsburg 2002, ISBN 3-929246-90-2 .
  • God and his story. A conversation about the Bible with Johannes Marten and Philipp v. Studnitz. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2005, ISBN 3-451-28827-3 .
  • Jesus is Lord - sermons and speeches. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-7954-2063-5 .
  • (Ed.) Belief is simple. Aspects of the theology of Pope Benedict XVI. Pustet, Regensburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-7917-2097-5 .
  • Catholic dogmatics. For study and practice of theology. 10th edition. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2016, ISBN 978-3-451-34979-9 (also Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Chinese).
  • (Ed.) Joseph Ratzinger Collected Writings (16 volumes), Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2008 ff.
  • Preface in: Benedict XVI., Spiritual Scriptures (Christian Masters, Vol. 58). Selected, introduced and edited by Julian R. Backes, Johannes Verlag Einsiedeln, Freiburg i. Br. 2014, 2nd ed. 2015, pp. 7-10, ISBN 978-3-89411-422-0 .
  • Poverty: The Challenge to Faith. With a foreword from Pope Francis , with the assistance of Gustavo Gutiérrez and Josef Sayer . Kösel-Verlag, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-466-37106-8 .
  • The Message of Hope: Thoughts on the Core of the Christian Message . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2016, ISBN 978-3-451-38888-0 .
  • The Pope: Mission and Mission . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2017, ISBN 978-3-451-37758-7 .
  • "You shall be a blessing". Twelve letters on the priesthood. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2018, ISBN 978-3-451-38310-6 .
  • Roman encounters , Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2019, ISBN 978-3-451-38565-0 .
  • Belief in God in the secular age. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2020, ISBN 978-3-451-38649-7 .

Others

  • In 2012 the photographer Herlinde Koelbl showed in her exhibition “Clothes Make People” with double portraits of people in work and casual clothes in the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden and since then in other cities as well, such a double portrait of Müller.

Web links

Commons : Gerhard Ludwig Müller  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Bishop em. Gerhard Cardinal Müller. Diocese of Regensburg, accessed on January 13, 2015 .
  2. ^ Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, accessed April 21, 2017 .
  3. ↑ * March 13, 1944; † October 30, 2018; Death notices Günter Müller .
  4. ^ Gerhard Ludwig Müller - Scientific Bibliography. (PDF; 586 kB) Diocese of Regensburg, accessed on January 13, 2015 .
  5. ^ School foundation of the Diocese of Regensburg - Diocese of Regensburg .
  6. ^ A b ZdK: ZdK President Meyer: Reorganization in Regensburg is a violation of the law ; News from November 16, 2005
  7. ^ Report and decree of the Apostolic Signature in German translation ; News from March 13, 2007
  8. ↑ Bishop em. Gerhard Cardinal Müller - Diocese of Regensburg .
  9. ^ German Bishops 'Conference: Press release: December 10, 2009 - Theological talks between the German Bishops' Conference and the Russian Orthodox Church will be continued .
  10. ↑ Mittelbayerische.de: Pope is happy about work in Regensburg .
  11. ^ Institute Pope Benedict XVI. - Current information single view .
  12. ↑ RINUNCE E NOMINE .
  13. ↑ RINUNCE E NOMINE .
  14. ^ "Bishop Müller becomes a member of two Vatican institutions" , Vatican Radio, June 12, 2012
  15. ↑ CONFERME E NOMINE NELLA CONGREGAZIONE PER LE CHIESE ORIENTALI , Vatican Press Office, February 19, 2014
  16. ^ Rinuncia di Prefetto della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede e di Presidente della Pontificia Commissione "Ecclesia Dei", della Pontificia Commissione Biblica e della Commissione Teologica Internazionale , in: Press Office of the Holy See: Daily Bulletin of July 2, 2012.
  17. ^ Personnel changes in the Curia - Müller confirmed - New Nuncio in Berlin , Vatican Radio , September 21, 2013
  18. ^ Concistori ordinario pubblico per la creazione dei nuovi Cardinali: Assegnazione dei Titoli o delle Diaconie ai nuovi Porporati , in: Press Office of the Holy See: Daily Bulletin of February 22, 2014.
  19. ^ Pope Francis leaves Cardinal Müller as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 30, 2017. Accessed July 1, 2017.
  20. ^ After release: Cardinal Müller attacks Pope Francis , Passauer Neue Presse , July 5, 2017.
  21. ^ Conclusione del mandato quinquennale del Prefetto della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede e nomina del successore. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , July 1, 2017, accessed July 1, 2017 (Italian).
  22. ↑ Sinnoptics - Office for Advertising and Design - www.sinnoptics.com: Voices of Time - The magazine for Christian culture - essays from religion and church, science and ethics, politics and society, art and literature .
  23. ↑ Gerardo Müller: Against the intolerance of the relativists. To the outrage over the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Dominus Jesus". By Gerhard Ludwig Müller. The church. Documents to, about, from and through the Catholic Church. Provided by the MSC Sacred Heart Missionaries in Perú. Catechesis, Faith, Apologetics, Catholic Church, Reason. .
  24. ↑ Report: Bishop Müller in the slums of Lima (February 16, 2011) (video file)
  25. ↑ Search - domradio.de .
  26. ↑ Mittelbayerische Zeitung of October 27, 2004 ( Memento of September 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  27. ↑ Address in Bayerischer Rundfunk on Caritas Sunday 2004 ( Memento from October 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 93 kB)
  28. ↑ domradio.de ( Memento from February 10, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  29. ↑ Müller: Common Approach to Luther (message from the Munich church radio from March 16, 2011) ( Memento from March 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  30. ↑ Ecumenism does not mean that the Catholic Church becomes Protestant .
  31. ^ The Catholic-Protestant ecumenism in Germany - opportunities and tasks. ( Memento from June 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 277 kB)
  32. ↑ Christ & World: TIME for Faith, Spirit and Society .
  33. ↑ Felizitas Küble: Zeitschrift: Archbishop Müller's clear defense of "Dominus Jesus" against modernist theologians. In: Christian Forum. Felizitas Küble, July 13, 2012, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Human dignity and human rights. Conference of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation .
  35. ↑ Jewish newspaper; The best relationship in 2000 years ( Memento from January 31, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  36. ↑ Cardinal Müller spoke out in favor of married priests: An older text reveals it. domradio.de, October 25, 2019, accessed on October 28, 2019 (citing KNA ).
  37. ↑ Bishop Müller describes reform groups as "parasitic" existences . In: Augsburger Allgemeine , May 20, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  38. ↑ Upper Palatinate Media - The New Day: Professor had considered leaving the church - Rome and the Bishops' Conference react immediately: Episcopal opponent Jilek loses chair .
  39. ^ Petition Vaticanum2 in full and (first) signatories
  40. ↑ Diocese of Regensburg, Episcopal Press Office, February 17, 2009: Bishop also calls for theology professors to recognize Vatican II ( Memento of May 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  41. ^ Diocese - Diocese of Regensburg .
  42. ↑ Disputable hardliner ( memento from February 10, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ). In: Bayerischer Rundfunk , September 20, 2012
  43. ↑ kath.net: It is time for the ZdK to find its way back to church standards , December 4, 2006.
  44. ↑ Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger from April 30, 2009 .
  45. ↑ diocese of Regensburg: finally confirmed Regensburg Councils Reform of Rome - grave Meier again failed ( Memento of 27 September 2007 at the Internet Archive ); Diocese of Regensburg: Decree rejecting complaints against the reorganization of the lay apostolate ( memento of September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  46. ^ Diocese of Regensburg: Congregation for the Faith thanks Bishop for Regensburg council reform (January 27, 2007) ( Memento of June 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 16 kB)
  47. ^ Diocese of Regensburg - news from the diocese .
  48. ↑ Holocaust survivors collect signatures for NPD ban: - WELT .
  49. ↑ Holocaust denier is banned from entering the diocese of Regensburg . January 28, 2009.
  50. ^ Nazi rally: Bishop for attempted prohibition . October 2, 2009.
  51. ↑ Christian Eckl: One judgment, many guilty parties. Regensburg Digital, March 14, 2008, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  52. ^ Press conference of the Episcopal Ordinariate - Diocese of Regensburg . September 21, 2007.
  53. ↑ Guidelines in the version dated August 31, 2010 (PDF; 35 kB)
  54. ↑ Diocese confirms: Courts did not provide for any restrictions ( Memento of July 31, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ); critical of this Regensburger Wochenblatt October 4, 2007
  55. ↑ Short trial for the child molester pastor Der Spiegel March 13, 2008, The Riekofen case before the Regional Court of Regensburg Süddeutsche Zeitung March 13, 2008.
  56. ↑ Giacomo Galeazzi: "Be massone": vescovo contro ministro lastampa.it - Süddeutsche Zeitung March 13, 2010 ( Memento from April 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) - kath.net March 13, 2010
  57. ↑ Humanist Union. Civil rights organization: Humanist Union: Topics: Legal policy: Sexual criminal law: Detail .
  58. ^ Media on abuse scandal Bishop of Regensburg draws Nazi comparison . In: Focus , March 21, 2010. Last accessed on July 2, 2012.
  59. ↑ Pastoral word of the Bishop of Regensburg on the current situation. ( Memento from June 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)
  60. ↑ NS comparison. Central council appalled by Catholic bishop . In: Focus , March 21, 2010. Last accessed on July 2, 2012.
  61. ^ Regensburg: reaction to Nazi comparison. The victim: the church . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 22, 2010. Accessed July 2, 2012.
  62. ^ Statement on reports of abuse in the media ( memento of September 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). Website of the diocese of Regensburg.
  63. ↑ Interim report on the abuse scandal: Four pillars for reparation (BR of October 12, 2016) ( Memento of October 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  64. ↑ Reinhard Veser , FAZ.net July 18, 2017: Not even half the truth (comment)
  65. ↑ Final report presented in Regensburg: Domspatzen investigators counted 547 cases of abuse ( memento from January 6, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) on www.br.de, July 18, 2017
  66. ↑ Ulrich Weber, Johannes Baumeister: Incidents of violence being exercised against those who are under wards at the Regensburger Domspatzen - investigation report. (PDF) (No longer available online.) July 18, 2017, archived from the original on July 20, 2017 ; accessed on September 7, 2019 .
  67. ↑ Abuse officer demands apology from Cardinal Müller , Passauer Neue Presse , July 19, 2017
  68. ↑ sueddeutsche.de July 20, 2017: Cardinal Müller demands an apology from the federal abuse commissioner
  69. ↑ sueddeutsche.de / Sebastian Beck: [www.sueddeutsche.de/1.3594712 A gesture of humility by Cardinal Müller would be the least ] ( comment )
  70. ↑ spiegel.de July 20, 2017: A question of compassion
  71. ↑ Ann-Katrin Müller: Criminologist Pfeiffer criticizes abuse study. Spiegel Online, September 15, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018 .
  72. ^ Die Welt : Excerpts from an interview , spiegel.de: Head of the Congregation for the Faith: Bishop criticizes "pogrom mood" against the Catholic Church (both February 1, 2013). Retrieved February 1, 2013
  73. ↑ Interview with Archbishop Müller. "Targeted Discrediting of the Catholic Church" . In: Die Welt , February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  74. ^ Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger attacks Vatican on Süddeutsche Zeitung, February 2, 2013. Accessed February 2, 2013.
  75. ↑ Pogrom comparison "dangerously forgotten about history" . In: Die Welt , February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  76. ↑ Catholic Church and Pogrom Comparison . In: TAZ , February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  77. ^ Pogrom statement - Rabbi takes protection of the bishop . In: Die Welt , February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013
  78. ↑ FOCUS Online: Limburg bishop travels to Rome only next week .
  79. ↑ Archbishop Müller sees Tebartz-van Elst as the victim of a "media campaign" . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  80. ↑ Gerhard Ludwig Müller: Sermon on the occasion of the Nordgau day in Tirschenreuth (modified version). (PDF) Regensburg Digital, May 25, 2008, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  81. ↑ http://www.schmidt-salomon.de/bvgh2011.pdf - http://www.schmidt-salomon.de/mss-mueller.htm
  82. ↑ Mittelbayerische Zeitung online on May 23, 2007 ( Memento from September 4, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ); Federal Administrative Court: Decision BVerwG 7 B 41.11. August 8, 2011, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  83. ↑ Mittelbayerische Zeitung online on May 23, 2007 ( Memento from September 4, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  84. ↑ Domradio.de , accessed on May 13, 2011.
  85. ↑ Christ & World: TIME for Faith, Spirit and Society .
  86. ↑ Faith Manifesto Don't let your heart be confused - Original text version PDF
  87. ↑ Gerd Haefner, as with Cardinal Müller the Bible under the wheels comes katholisch.de
  88. ^ Catholic.de: Cardinal Kasper criticizes Cardinal Müller's manifesto of faith.
  89. ↑ Parallel to the Enabling Act. Cardinal Müller dares to make a drastic comparison with the Synodal Way. domradio.de, February 4, 2020, accessed on February 6, 2020 .
  90. ^ Sharp criticism also from the diocese of Essen and the ZdK. Bishop Jung: Cardinal Müller's comparison "very out of place". kathisch.de, February 5, 2020, accessed on February 6, 2020 .
  91. ^ Regina Kerner: Conspiracy theories: Cardinal Müller defends controversial writing. Berliner Zeitung, May 12, 2020, accessed on May 12, 2020 .
  92. ^ Felix Neumann: Archbishop Viganò: From the Nuncio to the conspiracy theorist. In: kathisch.de , 8 May 2020 online
  93. ↑ Call. In: Appeal for the Church and the World. Retrieved May 10, 2020 (American English).
  94. ↑ Jan Schneider: Now also conspiracy myths from bishops www.zdf.de, May 9, 2020
  95. ↑ a b Bishops spread conspiracy theories. In: Tagesschau.de , May 9, 2020. Accessed May 9, 2020.
  96. ↑ Bishop Voderholzer distances himself from conspiracy theorists www.regensburger-nachrichten.de, May 11, 2020
  97. ↑ Conspiracy theories: More dangerous than the virus www.pharma-akte.de, June 6, 2020
  98. ↑ katholisch.de : Vicar General Pepper: Bishops spread conspiracy theories , May 9, 2020 online
  99. ↑ Church appeal with conspiracy theories. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  100. ↑ Felix Neumann: Archbishop Viganò: From Nuncio to Conspiracy theorist www.katholisch.de, May 8, 2020
  101. ^ German bishops at a distance from Cardinal Müller's appeal. Fundamentally different assessment of the situation. In: Domradio , May 10, 2020. Accessed May 10, 2020.
  102. ↑ Cardinal Müller defends signature - Bätzing's unusual criticism - Bishops' conference distances itself from Müller's conspiracy theory. Kirche + Leben Netz - The Catholic Online Magazine, May 10, 2020, accessed on May 12, 2020 .
  103. ↑ Also Bishop Voderholzer against world conspiracy theories. "Playing with fire": Bishop Fürst criticizes Viganò appeal. In: kathisch.de, 11 May 2020 online
  104. ^ After growing criticism from German bishops and Catholics: Cardinal Müller defends the signature of Viganò's Corona document. kathisch.de, May 10, 2020, accessed on May 12, 2020 .
  105. ↑ Bishop Fürst criticizes the call against corona restrictions. www.neckar-chronik.de, May 11, 2020
  106. ↑ Church criticism of Vigano and Müller's Corona call continues. neueruhrwort.de, May 11, 2020
  107. ↑ Regional Bishop Greiner criticizes Cardinal Müller. BR24, May 11, 2020, accessed May 12, 2020 .
  108. ^ ZdK President Sternberg criticizes conspiracy theories. "Crude and adventurous stuff". In: domradio.de , May 11, 2020. online
  109. ↑ Bavaria: Bishop calls the controversial Corona letter "cynical". ntv, May 12, 2020, accessed May 12, 2020 .
  110. ↑ franziskaner.net , May 14, 2020.
  111. ↑ Criticism of Vigano's appeal: “Unchristliche Panikmache”. www.kathpress.at, May 13, 2020
  112. ↑ Heinz Niederleitner: Descent and Reason www.kirchenzeitung.at, May 12, 2020
  113. ↑ Letter on Corona measures: Cardinal Müller defends signature. www.tagesschau.de, May 10, 2020
  114. ^ Regina Kerner: Conspiracy theories: Cardinal Müller defends controversial writing. Berliner Zeitung, May 12, 2020, accessed on May 12, 2020 .
  115. ↑ What does the new Bishop Bertram Meier stand for? www.augsburger-allgemeine.de, May 14, 2020
  116. ↑ Müller on Viganò appeal: To withdraw now would be the cowardly option. In: kathisch.de , [1]
  117. ↑ Report: Müller defends himself against allegations. In: domradio.de , May 14, 2020, [2]
  118. ↑ Tilmann Kleinjung: Who is behind the Corona call? www.tagesschau.de, May 25, 2020
  119. ↑ Clemens Neck, press spokesman for the Diocese of Regensburg: Pastoral trip from Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller: Mitten im Garbage . February 11, 2011.
  120. ↑ HE Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller appointed Honorary President ( Memento from August 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  121. ↑ Britta Dörre: Cardinal Müller new member of the Order of Malta. In: ZENIT . May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016 .
  122. ↑ In the footsteps of Pope Pius XII. - 60 Cartell brothers pray at the grave of the Trifels honorary member Eugenio Pacelli in Rome ( Memento from July 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Academia 3-2016, 109th year, p. 38.
  123. ^ FAZ.net, Friedrich Wilhelm Graf : A conservative rebel makes politics (review)
  124. ^ Burkhard Müller: Herlinde-Koelbl exhibition in Dresden - double life with uniform. In: sueddeutsche.de , May 8, 2012.
predecessor Office successor
Manfred Mueller Bishop of Regensburg
2002–2012 		Rudolf Voderholzer
William Joseph Cardinal Levada President of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”
2012–2017 		Luis Cardinal Ladaria SJ
William Joseph Cardinal Levada Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
2012–2017 		Luis Cardinal Ladaria SJ
personal data
SURNAME Müller, Gerhard Ludwig
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Müller, Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German clergyman, Roman Catholic theologian and cardinal of the Roman Curia
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Finthen , today in Mainz