A (very) 'unorthodox' bishop and horrified cardinals: the fight behind the election of a high office in the Church

of his second phase of the pontificate ahead of him have found another confirmation

and the horizon points to a storm between

that supports Francis.

A new allegedly divisive fact has come to light after the scandal caused by the open accusations launched against the pontiff by Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, as soon as the emeritus Pope Joseph Ratzinger died, to whom he was private secretary for many years.

A month ago, a piece of news began to appear on Catholic websites, especially conservative ones but also those of the progressive galaxy: he is about to be named Guardian of Catholic Orthodoxy, that is, Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith,

, the German,

(61 years old), whom Francis consecrated in 2018.

The Pope does not announce his appointments in the Vatican, nor does he comment on them, as befits

by divine right.

Nobody then denies or affirms with certainty that a high prelate like Wilmer,

of the Synodal Path of the German bishops who are causing a strong shock in the Church, is the candidate for a position

It is enough to remember that for many years the German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,

, who reigned for almost 27 years and whom Ratzinger replaced in the Papacy as Benedict XVI in April 2005 until his resignation , was the guardian of orthodoxy and discipline.

to the pontificate in February 2013.

Another who held the position was the German Cardinal Gerhard Muller, who in his five-year term in office

over theological interpretations and other important issues.

When the five-year term of his mandate ended

Gerhard Ludwig Muller.

Photo: Reuters

In addition, Francisco has left him hanging without any new appointment.

and divides his time today between lecturing around the world and editing the theological works of Joseph Ratzinger.

His line is that of

to the reformist aspirations of Jorge Bergoglio.

But Muller swears and swears that "I am not an enemy of the Pope" and

although he agrees with some of his proposals.

On July 1, the mandate of Cardinal Muller's successor, the Spanish cardinal

, fell, who also clashed on some issues with the Argentine Pope and it is believed that

The storm grows and the controversies spread in the infinite networks of the Internet.

One of them headlines that “

 will be the custodian of orthodoxy”.

The Spanish cardinal Luis Ladaria.

Photo: AP

Heimer's thought

But is Bishop Heimer's

so strong , which for many is leading the majority of the German episcopate and clergy towards a schism?

Youthful in appearance, Heimer

that secured his journey to the bishopric and becoming the Superior of the priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an important order of the Church.

Just one position that he made public is enough to make, according to conservatives,

as Guardian of Catholic Orthodoxy impossible.

In an interview with the

newspaper in Munich, he said: "I am passionately happy to be a celibate religious, but I think that celibacy could be even brighter

for all clergy."

Heiner Wilmer, Bishop of Hildesheim.

Photo: infovaticana.com

He also said in another interview that “

.

According to Bishop Heimer, this fact indeed calls for a radical change.

There are not only sinful individuals but also

as a community.

To curb the evil of the Church, the powers must also be separated within it.

"We must say goodbye to the claim that

," he said.

Two months ago Monsignor Wilmer held an audience of hours with the Pope and the central theme of the dialogue was the

.

The Pope has sought various ways to contain the most reformist impulses because he knows that some proposals, which he himself rejects, can cause

in the Church with very serious consequences.

A document on sexual morality

Monsignor Wilmer spoke with the pontiff about the recent vote on the basic document on sexual morality, which did not meet the two-thirds of the German Synod necessary to be approved.

Among other explosive arguments, the document raises the admission of

, “self-stimulating” sexuality, sexual relations outside of marriage, and the call for a magisterial reassessment of homosexuality.

Bishop Wilmer spoke

to open a broad debate on issues of sexual morality.

He said that the vote that prevented approval "is

on those who want to renew the Church."

He added: "It cannot be that the Church's teachings hurt or discriminate against people."

has also been included in the Synodal Path

, which is the access of

The Vatican "

" spread by social networks, agreed that the appointment

, scheduled for mid-December,

It did not take place due to poor health and the death on December 31 of Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger.

The pressure of (many) cardinals

An insistent

indicates that the appointment of Bishop Wilmer as Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith did not materialize due to

before the Pope to prevent it.

The decisive role would have been played by Cardinal Gerhard Muller.

who with the support of a good number of members of the College of Cardinals

Francis' resignation

In the coming months

that the Pope reserves to announce "at the right moment" will be reconsidered, in an arc that goes from this year to the Jubilee Year 2025.

Three years is enough, but Jorge Bergoglio has to carefully manage the times of the interlocking mechanism of his organized succession.

It is an elaborate enveloping maneuver that also involves the

to ensure an absolute majority of cardinals created by him and identified with his pontificate, destined to suffer more and more attacks from conservative and traditionalist sectors that contest his reign.

Vatican correspondent

ap​

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