WATCH: Could Cardinal Müller Become The Instrument Used By God To Help Restore The Church?

 
Gerhard Ludwig Müller was born on December 31, 1947, currently making him 78 years of age (one year older that Jorge Bergoglio when he was elected pope in 2013).  Pope John Paul II appointed him as Bishop of Regensburg, Germany in 2002 electing “Dominus Iesus” (“Jesus is Lord”) as his episcopal motto.  Pope Benedict XVI appointed Müller to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in 2007. He was then elevated to Prefect of the CDF in 2012, at which time he hoped to halt the “growing polarization between traditionalists and progressives [which] is threatening the unity of the Church and generating strong tensions among its members”. Müller served as Prefect until 2017 when Pope Francis declined to renew him to serve another term.  In response to growing confusion under the Francis pontificate, Müller published a four-page public testimony entitled “Manifesto of Faith” in multiple languages on February 8, 2019.  The document reasserted many key teachings of the faith, reminding clergy and laity it is up to “shepherds” to “guide those entrusted to them on the path of salvation.”  The document was made into a short film released under the same title which subsequently received millions of views.  While some conservative Catholics have been critical of some of Müller’s past statements, claiming they are inconsistent with the constant teaching of the Catholic Church, his most recent statements have reaffirmed traditional Catholic teaching.