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| Archbishop Gerhard Müller |
Archbishop Gerhard Müller, who was recently appointed as the Prefect (head) of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has given an interview to Catholic Herald journalist, Mary O'Regan. Archbishop Müller and the CDF oversee the Personal Ordinariates.
Here is an extract from the interview, which looks specifically at the Personal Ordinariates:
As Prefect of the CDF, Archbishop Müller is responsible for the implementation of the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. He was keen to talk about the great benefits which have come to the Church through the inclusion of these communities of Anglicans, with their pastors, into Catholic life. Commenting on the ecumenical dimension of the personal ordinariates, he said:
“It’s not only the will of the Holy Father, but it is the will of Jesus Christ that all the baptised are drawn together into full visible communion. In this way Anglicanorum Coetibus is both a fruit of the ecumenical dialogues of the last 40 years and an expression of the ultimate goal of the ecumenical movement.
“What we notice particularly from the clergy who are applying for ordination in the various ordinariates is that there has been a rediscovery in some Anglican and Protestant circles of the importance and the necessity of the papacy in order to maintain the authentic link with biblical Christianity against the pressures of secularism and liberalism. Many of those who have entered into full communion through the ordinariates have sacrificed a great deal in order to be true to their consciences. They should be welcomed wholeheartedly by the Catholic community – not as prodigals but as brothers and sisters in Christ who bring with them into the Church a worthy patrimony of worship and spirituality.”
The complete interview may be read here.
What is CDF? The CDF is a sacred Congregation of the Roman Curia and is the oldest Congregation. It stands for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As the name suggests it has particular care for the faithful communication of Catholic doctrine. The Holy Father, was the Prefect of this congregation before he was elected Pope. It also has oversight of the Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict.
What is the Roman Curia? This is the central administrative apparatus of the Holy See. It works, in obedience to the Pope and Catholic teaching, to make sure the entire Catholic Church functions according to its aims. It is normal for every Roman diocese to have its own curia which performs a similar function within the diocese. You can find out more here.
