Published on December 5 by the German Catholic newspaper
Die Tagespost , this new
interview with Cardinal Müller, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is a sort of assessment of the state of the Catholic Church in Germany, with a special view and attentiveness to the theology departments at German universities.
“Professionalism in theology is not well received,” “the logic and reason of the faith are being denied,” and “manager qualities” are highly esteemed. After a negative description of the state of affairs in German theology, the cardinal says that “so-called ‘German Churchmen’ still dream in a sort of ridiculous self-aggrandizement that they still can instruct others and thus…be the trendsetters of the Church. However, it is now time for them to go into the school of others and humbly to learn from [them] how to remain loyal to the Word of God and thus to gain the energy for a new evangelization.”
Further describing the attitude of the progressivists, Cardinal Müller also says that the “party spirit of progressivism” is “not about seeking the truth, but power.”
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Cardinal Müller sees that the Catholic Church is split: “Yes, the Church is split, but from the progressive party one does not hear anything – except the attempt [to] revive old errors – that would help us for the future.” This old “model” of the progressives, the prelate continues, “which has rendered the Church in many countries nearly meaningless, cannot be the antidote against the mostly homemade crisis.”
“That which contradicts the Will of God and destroys people cannot again make the Church trustworthy,” the cardinal states.
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“Most of the problems are in the realm of Middle Europe,” he explains. “At academic conferences in Rome, the Germans usually are notably absent.”
Further discussing the question of how the Church in Germany came to be in such a dire state, Cardinal Müller describes his own experience as a university theology professor in Germany.
“Progressive” professors would tell their post-graduate students to write their theses in an orthodox manner, “so as not get questions from Rome,” and to wait until they were established professors with tenure, he explained. Once that new professor’s position had become essentially not terminable, “he could express himself ‘freely,’ that is to say in conformity with the majority and in a fashion critical of Rome.” Thus, “the freedom of theology is not being used in a responsible manner in light of the ‘truth of the Gospels’ (Gal. 2:14),” explains the cardinal. He sees a strong “lack of faith” among those progressivists of the 1970s and onwards.
