Cardinal Gerhard Müller expressed his dismay to LifeSiteNews editor-in-chief John Henry Westen about Pope Francis’ intention to make Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego a cardinal.
In a recent interview, Westen asked Müller if he could comment on the “extremely controversial” elevation of McElroy to the cardinalate, pointing out the fact that McElroy has “taken stances on life, on family … on homosexuality that are at odds with the Church’s teaching[.]”
“Nobody can understand this appointment,” Müller responded.McElroy has been labeled an “ultra-liberal” with a “horrifying record on homosexuality and abortion” due to this statements and actions in the past.
The German cardinal contrasted the impending appointment of McElroy to the cardinalate with the fact that Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles was not given the red hat, even though Gomez has proven himself to be consistently more conservative and orthodox in his religious positions.
“In Los Angeles,” Müller said, “they have a very good bishop.”
He continued that he believed the elevation of McElroy over Gomez represents a “wrong understanding of the Catholic Church in America.”
Müller lamented that in American Catholic parlance there is an insistence on “factions that are a liberal wing and a conservative wing” of the Church.
Intimating that Pope Francis’ appointment of McElroy was political in nature, he added: “I cannot say I am on the side of Biden, or of Trump and therefore I will change the Catholic faith according to my political options.”
He said that “the opposite is true” and that it is Christians who “have to give some orientation for the politicians, especially if they are naming themselves Catholic.”
The above come from a June 21 posting on LifeSiteNews.
God bless the good cardinal, who was sent packing the Friday before his term as Prefect was to renew that weekend. “Your Eminence, no need to show up at work Monday.” How’s that for accompaniment, dialogue and being pastoral? None of us are perfect, but it seems the Vatican’s “problem” with Archbishop Gomez is that he is a Catholic, in faith and morals.
(I know, he needs to deal with the REC and other things. But, he is prolife and accepts Biblical, and Catholic, teaching about homosexual behavior and marriage being one man and one woman.) Pray that our bishops will stand courageously and publicly for the truth. And, all of us should know who our allies are, even if don’t always agree on everything or have the same preferences. We’re in a spiritual war. So, let’s not “shoot” our allies.
The Church has been infiltrated by those who would destroy her. Those outside the Church have been trying for 2000 years, these pesky appointments and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
Never in my life would I have uttered a negative word against a Pope, until now. I am angry and filled with dismay with Francis. He has singlehandedly ruined our trust and pitched us against one another. To paraphrase Hamlet’s Marcellus, there is something rotten in the Vatican State and the stench is spreading. Cardinals now admonish bishops and priests admonish priests openly. This is unprecedented and indicative of the giant fissure within our beloved Church, wherein a known magisterial dissident gets elected Cardinal.
The writer mixes his opinions with those of the Cardinal so much it makes it a very confusing article.
And it is Life Site News which is not entirely reliable.
I think it is more of a concern that a Cardinal would even be commenting on this. Inappropriate and questionable.
McElroy has enemies here in the US. Usually for not doing something that somebody else wants.
I do not think that McElroy has taken stances that are at odds with the Church’s teaching.
If you want to correct, I’m open but please be really specific and give sources.
Bishop McElroy is a practitioner of studied ambiguity, about which Pope Benedict warned us. Like James Martin, he rarely speaks clearly about an issue and his opinion on it.
But, here are a couple examples.
Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego virtually addressed St. Mary’s College, where, in a lecture published by NCR, he said that when it comes to questions of public policy, abortion legislation is a matter of prudential judgment.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/bishops-debate-over-preeminence-abortion-goes-public
And, from the dissenting pro-gay, pro-trans “ministry” that seems to never mention chastity, New Ways Ministry:
https://www.newwaysministry.org/2022/05/30/new-ways-ministry-welcomes-cardinal-elect-mcelroy/
Cardinal Muller and many others are aware of Bishop McElroy’s dissenting positions. I hope this helps explain the concern.
And, if you’d like to find out first hand, why don’t you ask Bishop McElroy if he believes that all sex (straight or gay) outside of marriage, which is one man and one woman, is seriously sinful?
After all, one of a bishop’s primary roles is to be the teacher in his diocese. And, it’s okay to ask our teachers questions.
Please let us know his response (if you ever get one).
“I share the belief expressed at the listening sessions that a gay subculture within the priests of our diocese or among our seminarians would be a threat to a healthy Catholic community, both because it undermines Catholic teaching on sexual morality and represents an obstacle to priests in achieving authentic celibacy in their lives. But I have not witnessed the presence of such a subculture in my three years as bishop of San Diego. And I give thanks daily to God for the quality of the priests, seminarians and the seminary program with which He has graced our diocese.” Bishop McElroy
This indicates that he accepts Catholic teaching.
anonymous clergyman, in order for him to be dissenting, there would have to be a Church teaching that he is dissenting from.
He says that abortion is an intrinsic evil.
He says that marriage is between one man and one woman.
He is not dissenting from any Church teaching.
I disagree with him strongly on his position on abortion legislation but is there a Church teaching on it?
The headline on the New Ways Ministry article is misleading. He did not address them. They were just welcoming him to being a cardinal
I do not see any dissenting from Church teaching in his quotes.
I would never write any bishop and ask whether they believe a teaching of the Catholic Church. I’m not that rude.
So you are really saying that he does not dissent publicly from Church teaching but you are suspicious that privately he supports gay sex, right? And he supports Democratic candidates, which you do not, right?
I do not support either of those things either. He just isn’t saying what we want him to say but that is not dissent.
An intrinsic evil is never a matter of prudential judgment. Would the bishop say legislation outlawing the lynching of Blacks is just a matter of prudential judgment? Of course, he wouldn’t. And, he has gone on record opposing use of intrinsic evils in work toward the common good, “A fatal shortcoming of the category of intrinsic evil as a foundation for prioritizing the major elements of the political common good…”
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/mcelroy-faith-voting
He virtually equates climate change with intentional abortion:
https://www.sdcatholic.org/bishops/bishop-mcelroy/conscience-candidates-and-discipleship-in-voting/
Most U.S. bishops understand and support Catholic teaching in its totality. It seems Bishop McElroy does not. That’s dissent.
He is a master of studied ambiguity. As Pope Benedict wrote, “With this in mind, this Congregation wishes to ask the Bishops to be especially cautious of any programmes which may seek to pressure the Church to change her teaching, even while claiming not to do so. A careful examination of their public statements and the activities they promote reveals a studied ambiguity by which they attempt to mislead the pastors and the faithful. For example, they may present the teaching of the Magisterium, but only as if it were an optional source for the formation of one’s conscience. Its specific authority is not recognized. Some of these groups will use the word ‘Catholic’ to describe either the organization or its intended members, yet they do not defend and promote the teaching of the Magisterium; indeed, they even openly attack it. While their members may claim a desire to conform their lives to the teaching of Jesus, in fact they abandon the teaching of his Church. This contradictory action should not have the support of the Bishops in any way.” And, do you really wonder why New Ways Ministry was thrilled by his appointment?
So if New Ways Ministry likes him, he must be bad?
I see no where that he supported them.
And I still see no dissent from Catholic teaching.
Now I grant you that he may be saying one thing and doing something else and that is no different from any clergyman.
I do not see anything that he wrote as dissenting from Catholic teaching.
Perhaps the application of it in our current (or recent) political situation is what bothers you?