Wunibald Müller

Wunibald Müller (with yellow microphone) in Munich 2010

Wunibald Albert Anton Müller (born September 21, 1950 in Buchen (Odenwald) ) is a German author , Roman Catholic theologian and psychological psychotherapist . Until the end of April 2016, he was head of the Recollectio House of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey .

Life

Wunibald Müller was born in Buchen in the Odenwald as the son of Karl Müller and his wife Klara (née Leuser). He attended elementary school and grammar school at his birthplace, and from 1963 to 1972 the boarding schools St. Mauritius, St. Benedikt and St. Egbert in the Münsterschwarzach Abbey.

In 1972 he graduated from the Carmelite late vocational school in Bamberg . He then studied Catholic theology and psychology in Freiburg im Breisgau , Würzburg and Jerusalem . In 1979 he obtained a diploma in psychology and in 1978 in theology (subject of the diploma thesis: "Priest as a pastor for homosexuals"). From 1979 to 1982 he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley , California . In 1984 he received his doctorate in Würzburg on the subject of "Homosexuality - A Challenge for Theology and Pastoral Care". The trigger for Müller's study topics and his later field of work was the youthful confession of one of his oldest and closest friends.

From 1983 to 1990, Wunibald Müller was head of the department for pastoral psychology and practical advice and speaker for priest training at the Institute for Pastoral Education in Freiburg im Breisgau. Since 1991 he has been the director of the Recollectio House in Münsterschwarzach .

Wunibald Müller has been born with Ilse Katharina Müller since 1986. Houses married, they have two children and live in Würzburg. Ilse Müller is a doctor for psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Recollectio House

Wunibald Müller heard during his studies in California that there are special institutions in the USA (“Houses of Affirmation”) in which priests receive therapy for psychological and psychosexual problems. The vision of founding such a house of (self) affirmation in Germany was realized by Müller in the Münsterschwarzach Abbey with the Recollectio House (“Recollectio” ( Latin ) means “assembly”). He was initially supported by three dioceses , in 2010 there were eight dioceses. The then chairman of the German Bishops' Conference , Karl Lehmann , was initially rather cautious, but after a short time supported his idea.

The long-term courses last eight to twelve weeks. Father Anselm Grün OSB is the spiritual director of the Recollectio House ; seven people work as a specialist team.

When numerous cases of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church became known in early 2010, the Recollectio House received greater attention. According to an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , “hardly anyone else has dealt with sexual abuse, pedophilia and ephebophilia as intensively as Müller - also and especially in connection with homosexuality and celibacy ”.

Positions

At the Ecumenical Church Congress 2010 in Munich, Wunibald Müller took part in a panel discussion with Bishop Stephan Ackermann (Abuse Commissioner of the German Bishops' Conference), Father Klaus Mertes (Rector of the Canisius-Kolleg Berlin ), Beate Merk (Bavarian Justice Minister), Gerhard Robbers (Protestant lawyer) and Andrea Heim from the Association of German Catholic Youth . Müller demanded that women in the church can take up positions of responsibility: "It must be permissible to ask whether the Catholic Church would have dealt with the issue of sexual abuse differently if women in positions of responsibility also had something to say." ... "We have to assume that the proportion of sexually immature among gay priests is particularly high and that they are prone to commit sexual abuse."

Müller spoke out against no longer ordaining homosexuals to priests. “The church would then have to do without wonderful homosexual priests. We finally have to recognize that homosexual feelings are no less valuable than heterosexual ones. " In his work, Greater Than Everything Is Love , he explains that even the Bible cannot be used as a justification for homophobia .

It conveys a liberating and beneficial view of sexuality. For him, "Sexuality ... is one of the most beautiful gifts that God has given us". It is to be understood as a special source of spirituality and important for a living relationship with God. Sexuality is then a source of liveliness, imagination and creativity.

In a letter at the end of 2013, Müller asked Pope Francis "pleadingly" to decouple the priesthood and celibacy .

Fonts

• Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Church. Psychological, pastoral and institutional aspects. Mainz 1996, ISBN 3-7867-1920-9 .
• Intimacy: The richness of holistic encounters. Matthias-Grünewald Verlag, 4th edition, Mainz 1997, ISBN 3-7867-1406-1 .
• God didn't protect me either. When minors are victims of sexual abuse in the church. Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-7867-2099-1 .
• Live now - just be. Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 2003, ISBN 3-7867-2438-5 .
• Your song resounds in me: the divine spark of Taizé. Würzburg 2003, ISBN 3-429-02552-4 .
• Kissing is praying: sexuality as the source of spirituality. Mainz 2003, ISBN 3-7867-2464-4 .
• Your way out of fear: accepting and overcoming fear. Münsterschwarzach 2003, ISBN 3-87868-640-4 .
• To be at home in me. Mainz 2004 ISBN 3-7867-2493-8 .
• Where are you, God ?: from God's eternity in our time. Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-7867-2513-6 .
• Happiness is a quiet singing of the soul: discovering the divine wisdom in us. Mainz 2005, ISBN 3-7867-2543-8 .
• Alone - but not lonely. Münsterschwarzach 2005, ISBN 3-87868-651-X .
• Experiences of the Eternal: What gives depth to my life. Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-466-36713-9 .
• Whatever is in your heart, do that. Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7867-2616-6 .
• In search of the lost soul. Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7867-8590-3 .
• Breathe in close to God. Münsterschwarzach 2007, ISBN 978-3-87868-660-6 .
• When the spirit touches the soul: For a dynamic spirituality. Ostfildern 2007, ISBN 978-3-7867-2671-5 .
• Breathe in me: the reality of the Holy Spirit. Münsterschwarzach 2008, ISBN 978-3-89680-362-7 .
• What is the soul ?: my secret - my strength. together with Anselm Grün , Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-466-36820-4 .
• Turn your ear to me: prayers of the Bible. Düsseldorf 2008, ISBN 978-3-491-71324-6 .
• But love is greater than anything: for a holistic view of homosexuality. Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7867-2765-1 .
• I venture into my darkness: to face depression. Münsterschwarzach 2009, ISBN 978-3-89680-411-2 .
• What makes people sick, what makes them healthy? Münsterschwarzach 2009, ISBN 978-3-89680-427-3 .
• I wish you a soulmate: through relationships that carry. Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-466-36846-4 .
• You are the love that is stronger than anything: speaking to God in fear, depression and despair. Würzburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-429-03149-7 .
• Listen to the full sound of the world: Meditation for everyday life. Münsterschwarzach 2010, ISBN 978-3-89680-458-7 .
• Hidden wounds - Recognizing and preventing sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-466-37000-9 .
• Trust your soul. Kevelaer 2010, ISBN 978-3-8367-0730-5 .
• Guilt and forgiveness: living freely. Herder 2010, ISBN 978-3-451-06300-8 .
• Live with passion: from calmly dealing with our fear of death. Ostfildern 2010, ISBN 978-3-491-72570-6 .
• Listen to the full sound of the world: Meditation for everyday life. Münsterschwarzach 2010, ISBN 978-3-89680-458-7 .
• Thirty Steps to Paradise: A Spiritual Life Program. Real Würzburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-429-03296-8 .
• Out of Darkness to Light: Facts and Consequences of Sexual Abuse for Church and Society. Münsterschwarzach 2011, ISBN 978-3-89680-499-0 .
• You should honor body and soul: For a wholesome spirituality. Kösel Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-466-37019-1 .
• Memories of Henri Nouwen. Münsterschwarzach 2012, ISBN 978-3-89680-553-9 .
• Drunk from kissing his mouth. Sexuality as a source of spirituality. Ostfildern 2012, ISBN 978-3-8367-0802-9 .
• Brought to Light: Further Facts and Consequences of Sexual Abuse for Church and Society. Münsterschwarzach 2012, ISBN 978-3-89680-514-0 .
• Ultimate test. Church service between personal conviction and official claim. Freiburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-451-31073-7 .
• Rest your heart. Münsterschwarzach 2013, ISBN 978-3-89680-824-0 .
• Living Contemplatively: Memories of Thomas Merton. Münsterschwarzach 2014, ISBN 978-3-89680-915-5 .
• Forgiveness: Ways of Liberation. Münsterschwarzach 2014, ISBN 978-3-89680-591-1 .
• Between fate and freedom. Courage to make a decision. Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-466-37100-6 .
• Discover the gold in the darkness of the soul. New strength from hidden sources. Ostfildern 2015, ISBN 978-3-8436-0614-1 .
• Forever - is that possible? When life decisions are in crisis. Münsterschwarzach 2015, ISBN 978-3-89680-963-6 .
• Henri Nouwen. Passion for people. Ostfildern 2016, ISBN 978-3-8436-0801-5 .
• Why I still stay in the church. Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-466-37168-6 .
• Your strength is powerful in the weak: impulses from the Recollectio-Haus Münsterschwarzach. Münsterschwarzach 2016, ISBN 978-3-7365-0017-4 .
• Trust your soul. Kevelaer 2016, ISBN 978-3-8367-1030-5 .
• In search of the lost soul. Kevelaer 2016, ISBN 978-3-8367-1019-0 .
• In the ocean of life. In: Sexuality - The colors of passion , Publik-Forum EXTRA, July 2016, ISBN 978-3-88095-301-7 .
• The last one turns the light off. Fancy going to church tomorrow - an encouragement. Würzburg (Echter) 2017, ISBN 978-3-429-04392-6
• Waiting for G. Confessions of a seeker. Würzburg (Echter) 2019, ISBN 978-3-429-05423-6
• Crime and no end. Necessary consequences from the abuse crisis . Würzburg (Echter) 2020, ISBN 978-3-429-05468-7 .

Honor

2012 honorary doctorate from the theological faculty of the University of Münster

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Peter-Philipp Schmitt: Catholic Church: Seelsorge für Seelsorger In: faz.net of May 18, 2010.
2. ^ Team of the Recollectio-Haus ( Memento from May 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) - abtei-muensterschwarzach.de
3. ↑ Sarina Pfauth: "The Outrageous Sacrifice" . In: sueddeutsche.de of May 14, 2010.
4. ↑ Meike Fries: “Priesthood also for women and gays” In: zeit.de from May 15, 2010.
5. ↑ Andreas Zinßer: A Catholic theologian explains homosexual love , queer.de, March 29, 2015.
6. ↑ In the ocean of life ; in “Sexuality - The Colors of Passion”, Publik-Forum EXTRA p. 32, July 2016, ISBN 978-3-88095-301-7 .
7. ^ Andreas Ross: Theologian Wunibald Müller: Seelsorger der Seelsorger. In: sueddeutsche.de, December 31, 2013.

Web links

• Literature by and about Wunibald Müller in the catalog of the German National Library
• Recollectio-Haus in Münsterschwarzach ( Memento from June 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
• Wunibald Müller on abuse