Agency Report –
German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, one of late Pope Francis’ fiercest critics, on Thursday said he hopes the new pontiff will reverse course on some of the more progressive issues pushed by the pontiff, including dialogue with Muslims.
Müller told Italian daily La Repubblicca that he thought it was possible to “enter into dialogue” with Muslims “on the level of reason.”
“They respect certain principles of natural ethics and believe in God in their own way,” he said.
“But we have to ask ourselves how it’s possible for someone, who believes in God, the creator of humankind, to kill in the name of God,” Müller added, apparently referring to Islamist extremism.
The cardinal went on to say that while he was generally in favour of dialogue, “any form of relativism” has to be avoided.
Müller is among the conservative clergy who have been warning for years that showing too much tolerance towards other religions could water down the Catholic faith.
Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, always advocated for dialogue with other religions, including Islam.
The late pontiff also promoted openness towards marginalized groups, including homosexuals, drawing ire from conservative forces within the Church when he approved blessings for same-sex couples in 2023.
Müller said he hoped the new pope, who will be elected by cardinals in the coming weeks, will reverse the course chartered by Francis regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) issues.
He said the new pope “must make clear” that “the Catholic doctrine of marriage must not be relativized.”
The cardinal said that, in his opinion, church doctrine was not one of Francis’ strengths.
While the pontificate of Francis’ predecessor pope Benedict XVI was characterized by “complete theological clarity,” Pope Francis’ “abilities” had lain more in “the social sphere,” Müller said.
