In the sunny courtyard of St. Peter’s Square, tens of thousands of faithful leave flowers and pray for the Pope of the poor while at the same time immersing it in the aftermath for the next day. The humble Argentine who changed the tone and face of the Catholic Church – is no longer here. And the mechanism of its succession has already been put in motion.
Far from flash and pilgrims, in a simple apartment inside the Vatican, Cardinal Gerhard Miller speaks without chewing his words on The Times.
The 77 -year -old theologian, with a sharp look and methodical discourse, says he is ready to lead a conservative “guerrilla” who will not allow another “subordinate to the worship of the world”. Even warned that the Catholic Church It even endangers with a split if he elects a new liberal leader like Pope Francis
Dying Francis leaves behind him a great spiritual heritage and rifts as he opens the Pandora’s box: from Congo to Seoul and from Kito to Boston, Cardinals gather for preliminary consultations, and meetings of preparation. It is certain that the future of the Catholic Church
Miller, a former head of his doctrine of faith and his “right hand”, is not hiding: he fears that the church has begun to move away from tradition. Blessings to homosexual couples, the theological approach with Muslims, and even the shift to the care of immigrants and the planet – all for Miller are dangerous derogations from the doctrine.
And as he notes, his conscience does not allow him to be silent: the next Pope should not “seek the applause of secular society that sees the Church as a humanitarian organization that offers social work”.
The man, the doctrine, the rift
The image of Franciscan kissing babies and laughing with children in his last appearance before death, obviously does not move the German cardinal. “Not everyone wants to kiss them old men,” he says, half -bodied.
And yet, there is also the essence of the disagreement: for Francis, the church was hug – for Miller, it is a fortress of faith. For the first one, God is first merciful – for the second, he is first righteous.
H. It is existential.
In view of the General Churches, Miller said: “I hope these issues will be raised and I hope that the cardinals are not so much affected by those who read on the headlines” and adds: “Pope Francis enjoyed the favor of the media and there is the favor of the media. [οι καρδινάλιοι] Think: “We have to keep going.” Instead, as he pointed out, “they have the responsibility to elect a man who is able to unite the Church into the revealing truth.”
Miller rejects the “labels” on “liberal” and “conservative”, noting that the gap in the church is deeper. “The Pope,” he said, “must be Orthodox – neither liberal nor conservative”, adding that “the issue is not between conservative and liberal, but between orthodoxy and heresy.”
Cardinal also questioned Francis’ speech on the “fraternity” of Catholics and Muslims, arguing that “Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ”.
“I pray to illuminate the Holy Spirit of the Cardinalians, for a heretical pope who changes every day depending on what the media is saying would be a disaster.”
The Catholic Church at the Crossroads
Former Bishop of Regensburg in Germany, he was head of dogmatic theology at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University and one of the few leading conservative thinkers of the Catholic Church based in Rome, along with American Cardin.
Miller’s 2023 book, a complaint against the agreement with China, resembling it with the Nazi appeal by the Vatican in the 1930s, but also against the tendency to adapt to modern ethos, is already circulating in the Vatican’s corridors as a “resistance guide”.
And although 80% of the cardinals have been appointed by Francis himself, the votes are secret – and the silence of the Conservatives, as History teaches again and again, does not mean weakness.
The time of the Conclavian decision is approaching. Will the Church continue the course of Francis – or will it go back?
