(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Gerhard Müller warned against the excesses of emphasizing “inclusion” and remarked on disputes over the Traditional Latin Mass in an October 6 interview with Il Giornale.
Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that the Church must not be “exploited for ideology,” rejecting what he called the politicization of the faith under the banner of inclusivity.
“The Church should not engage in politics; it should think of Christians,” he said. “Many want the Church to speak only about issues of social life and politics. Of course, these are also issues of mission, but its primary mission is to preach the Gospel of salvation and eternal life for all men.”
When asked about letters to Pope Leo XIV protesting the so-called “LGBTQ+ Jubilee,” the cardinal’s response was unambiguous.
“The situation is very clear: the Holy Year and the Holy Door cannot be exploited for an ideology of this kind,” he said. “The Church, in the name of Jesus Christ, accepts all men and their problems, but God created man and woman, and only this marriage is the only possibility for living together as a couple. The Holy Door cannot be used for political reasons.”
READ: Cardinal Müller: Abortion ‘cannot be put on the same level’ as the death penalty
Asked about Pope Leo’s embrace of Francis’s “Todos, todos, todos” (“everyone, everyone, everyone”), Müller cautioned against the misuse of the phrase as moral license.
“All men are called to find Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world, but through a change in their lives. The problem is that many want to understand this ‘everyone, everyone, everyone’ as the acceptance of a lifestyle that goes against the Christian way of life,” he said.
Turning to liturgical disputes, Müller said the issue of the Latin Mass “cannot be resolved with authoritarianism.” A solution, he insisted, must be grounded in faith rather than politics. “Mediation is needed: both sides must move toward each other. Clear reflection is needed, theological and not just political.”
Müller also warned against treating the papacy as a performance or political office. “The Pope, as Bishop of Rome, is not isolated like an autocrat, but has a college of cardinals that is his senate,” he said. “The advice the cardinals give is very important, not for their own interests, but to assist the Pope and his mission intellectually and morally.”
“The Pope isn’t a figurehead for public interest; he doesn’t present himself according to the rules of a Hollywood star, but as a good shepherd, who gives his life for Christ’s sheep,” he added later.
