"Bishops who betray the mission God has entrusted to them to avoid being accused of proselytism or of being strict in defending Christian morality have forgotten the meaning and purpose of their existence," declared Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during a conference in Rome.
The German priest warned against attempts by the Catholic Church to "modernize" the transmission of the Gospel, which only lead to illusory results. He emphasized the necessity of fidelity to Christ's revelation for bishops to authentically fulfill the teaching function entrusted to them.
Cardinal Müller recalled the explanation from the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, according to which "this teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on" (DV 10). He cited the words of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, who stated that the authentic manifestation of the apostolic succession of bishops must be anchored in Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.
Thus, "bishops who betray their divine mission to avoid the accusation of proselytism or rigorism in defending Christian morality have forgotten the meaning and finality of their existence," stated the former Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
He recalled that the temptation to adapt the Gospel to the trends currently prevailing in the world was warned against by Saint Paul, who declared:
"If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. (…) it was revealed by Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:10-12).
The Cardinal emphasized that the first Christians were also warned and that these words remain relevant today: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching" (Heb 13:8-9).
He stressed that in today's world, this means the Pope and bishops must firmly adhere to the Church's mission for the salvation of the world in Christ and must not try to conform to the world or win its approval by "proving their right to exist" by serving secular ideologies such as "eco-religion" or the "anti-rational woke movement" (a movement originating in the United States that focuses on raising awareness about inequality and discrimination in society – KAI note).
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Cardinal Müller compared the current temptation of the clergy to abandon the truth of Christ in favor of worldly favor to the temptation of Pontius Pilate, who hoped to avoid suffering himself by inflicting suffering on Jesus Christ and overseeing His crucifixion and death. "One must not be deceived by the idea that if one wants to reach people today and be loved by all, one must, like Pilate, set aside the truth and thus be spared persecution, suffering, the cross, and death," said the cardinal.
Without seeking to compromise "with the powerful and the wise of this world," the Church must always proclaim "Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:23-24), emphasized the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
This article was originally published by Niedziela and then translated by LeCatho | Original Link.