Cardinal Müller: "Putin has a power play instinct with the emotional world of a sex offender"
Created: 07/31/2022, 15:57
By: Astrid Theil
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller (archive image) © picture alliance / Andreas Arnold/dpa/Archiv
Former bishop of Regensburg, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, condemns Vladimir Putin for the Ukraine war.
According to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Vladimir Putin, as a Christian, bears particular guilt for the war crimes he committed in Ukraine.
"Hitler and Stalin had no conscience, but Putin crossed himself in the Christ the Redeemer Church," the former prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told the dpa news agency in Rome.
In so doing, he sins against Christianity.
Ukraine war: "Putin is responsible for the most terrible crimes"
Müller stressed that nothing could justify the Russian attack on Ukraine.
“Putin is responsible for the most terrible crimes, crimes against innocent men, women and children.
Unfortunately, we still have people who defend him.”
It is depressing that a single person can start a war that kills thousands.
Müller described Putin clearly in an interview with the dpa: "Putin has a power play instinct with the emotional world of a sex offender".
He enjoys "keeping the whole world in suspense, getting his armies moving, turning the gas tap on and off".
Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church: Connection for reasons of power politics?
Vladimir Putin has close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, which in return supports his policies.
According to Müller, the faith that Putin is promoting is possibly just a facade that he is maintaining for reasons of power politics.
"In any case, he will have to answer to God for his actions," says Müller.
Müller (74) was Bishop of Regensburg from 2002 to 2012 and was then appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.
appointed prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Catholic teaching.
When his first term expired in 2017, Pope Francis did not extend it.
Müller has been a judge at the Supreme Church Court in the Vatican since 2021.
(at/dpa)