ast month, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published his "Manifesto of Faith." The four-page text reiterated certain basic Catholic doctrines he considers imperiled in the current confused state of the church.
The brevity of the document did not prevent a firestorm erupting in the Catholic blogosphere. Although neither the person nor the words nor the actions of Pope Francis are cited in the manifesto, the commentaries seized on the text as an implicit criticism of the current pontiff. Admirers of the pope condemned the manifesto as unbalanced, unbiblical, disloyal, reactionary, nostalgic, rigid, legalistic, sexist and otiose. Critics of the pope praised the declaration as prophetic, courageous, salutary, illuminating, crusading, necessary, groundbreaking, breathtaking and even miraculous. Predictably, the U.S. debate pivoted around the questions of sexuality lurking in the manifesto's discussion of priestly ordination and access to the sacraments.
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