Saturday, December 28, 2013

Prefect Gerhard Ludwig Müller Rejects More Power for Bishops' Conferences

The President of a Bishops' Conference is no Vice Pope.

Vatican (Catholic news / CF / kathweb.at). The prefect of the Vatican congregation, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, has turned strongly against decentralizing the Church on the level of the national bishop conferences. "The Catholic Church is made up of local churches, but it is one," said the Prefect for the Italian daily newspaper "Corriere della sera": "There are no 'national' churches." - The Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences are "coordinators, not vice-popes" stressed the Vatican defender of the Faith. While the papacy and the office of bishop have "divine right", the Patriarchs and Bishops' Conferences to facilities work according to "human rights". Of course, these conferences also have doctrinal authority in certain areas, for instance when preparing local catechisms, liturgical books or the management of universities and Catholic schools: "The Pope can not know everything that happens in the individual countries," said Archbishop Müller. One must "find a practical balance." Pope Francis had recently announced in his letter "Evangelii Gaudium" considering more powers for national Bishops' Conferences. '

Photo: Archbishop Müller - image source: M. citizens kathnews.de,

  Link to Kath.news....

5 comments:

anony/mous said...

With his age comes his wisdom. He needs to be one step behind the Pope or one step ahead and get this House in order.

Православный физик said...

+Muller defending the Faith? Well, at least one person must. Continue this your excellency

Aged parent said...

He seems to be a man being constantly pulled in opposite directions. It is difficult to understand his mind. One day he speaks rank nonsense; the next day something relatively sane. Strange.

Anonymous said...

The idea that the National conferences would have real doctrinal power always struck me as very odd. If they were to be given such power, than the US could decide to give divorced people communion, the French could do something different and the African nations could do something different again. Then we have loosely affiliated churches, who sort of take direction from Rome. And that would quickly become "take direction from Rome when they want to". I suspect Francis has something different in mind.

Anonymous said...

So sick of Church news these days. Pope Francis is the nail in the coffin of the Vatican II "renewal".