Vatican’s Head of Doctrine Gives Clarity to Controversy

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VATICAN CITY, August 4, 2015 (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Vatican's chief of Church doctrine says the upcoming Synod on the Family will work to help Catholics stuck in tough marital situations.

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Vatican's Congregration for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), is declaring how "pastoral solutions need to be found in order to ensure a stronger integration of people in difficult situations into the community," but stresses that this must be done without "reducing the word of Jesus and the teaching of the Church."

"The family is vital for the future of the Church and of society," he says, so the Church must open up to the family and the family to the Church. "In our age, questions relating to marriage and the family have gained fresh relevance."

This year's Ordinary Synod on the Family is set to take place Oct. 4–25 and is expected to be no less controversial than last year's.

Cardinal Müller's comments come in an interview posted to the German Bishops' Conference's website yesterday. And the German prelate is apparently not shy when it comes to controversial topics.

He also spoke about Pope Francis' trip to Latin America last month, saying it "shows that the Church needs to strive for a real liberation theology." In other words, Catholics should only accept a liberation theology which "is not ideologically aligned, but seeks the good of mankind and of society."

The German cardinal was also asked about the increasingly unproductive dialogues occurring between the Holy See and the Society of Saint Pius X. He said Pope Francis has told his congregation to continue their talks with "tenacity and patience," attempting to find some way to fully reconcile the disobedient group with the Holy See.

Cardinal Müller then delved into the ongoing situation of alleged visions in Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on which a top-level decision is expected to settle conflicting claims regarding its legitimacy. He affirmed that a special commission led by Cdl. Camillo Ruini has adequately and thoroughly investigated the matter. The findings of that commission will be presented to the CDF this fall, after which Pope Francis will eventually make a final decision about it.

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