“Let not your heart be troubled!” (John 14:1)



Catholics who have read their catechism, and who know their faith, know the challenges that the Church has faced over the last 6 years.

With the election of Pope Francis in 2013, there has been an almost unbroken series of unusual and novel pronouncements and events coming from the Holy See.

Some senior members of the clergy – including several Cardinals – have voiced their concern and, in some cases, doubt about the legitimacy of these novel pronouncements and events, especially in light of how they are seemingly at variance with the traditions and established doctrine of the Church.

Now, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has taken a new step in the call for orthodoxy by issuing a Manifesto of Faith.

The manifesto reads as a correction of many of the doctrinal errors Pope Francis has taught during his tenure as Pope. Though he does not mention the Pope, he explains that he was asked by bishops, priests, religious, and laymen to make a public testimony of the truth “in the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith.”

The cardinal is releasing his manifesto to a worldwide audience, in seven different languages, thus allowing for a widespread affirmation of the orthodox Catholic faith.

To this end, LifeSite is hosting this petition so the Catholic clergy and faithful of the world, in all language groups, can make a visible sign of their support for the full and unvarnished faith and for the Cardinal’s initiative. We thereby also wish to express our gratitude for Cardinal Müller’s historic defense of the Faith.

This petition is very simply a call to action for the Catholic faithful. It asks us to support Cardinal Müller’s Manifesto. The Manifesto was intended to be launched on Sunday, February 10, 2019, the eve of the anniversary of both Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of his resignation, 6 years ago. It is also the eve of Cardinal Müller’s own ordination to the priesthood. However, it was released early, on Friday, February 8, 2019, because a news agency broke the embargo.

When you sign this petition, you’ll be joining thousands of other Catholics, from around the world, in encouraging the priests, bishops, cardinals and pope, to be faithful to the traditions and doctrine of the Church in the face of a growing and moral confusion.

We will send this petition to Cardinal Müller himself, and to the Vatican.

Please READ Cardinal Müller’s manifesto by clicking here and then, please SIGN the petition supporting his manifesto of faith. Thank you!

Cardinal Müller’s Manifesto:

Italian

English

German

French

Polish

Spanish

Portugese

Here are some of the key passages from Cardinal Müller’s Manifesto, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1):

On why the Cardinal has made this intervention at this juncture:

“In the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith, many bishops, priests, religious and lay people of the Catholic Church have requested that I make a public testimony about the truth of revelation. It is the shepherds’ very own task to guide those entrusted to them on the path of salvation. This can only succeed if they know this way and follow it themselves.”

On the reception of Holy Communion:

"From the internal logic of the sacrament, it is understood that civilly remarried divorcees, whose sacramental marriage exists before God, as well as those Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Faith and the Church, just as all who are not properly disposed, cannot receive the Holy Eucharist fruitfully (CCC 1457) because it does not bring them to salvation. To point this out corresponds to the spiritual works of mercy."



On the impossibility of the ordination of women to the priesthood:

“With a view to receiving the ordination in the three stages of this ministry, the Church is “bound by the choice made by the Lord Himself. That is why it is not possible to ordain women”(CCC 1577). To imply that this impossibility is somehow a form of discrimination against women shows only the lack of understanding for this sacrament, which is not about earthly power but the representation of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church.”

On the responsibility of the Shepherds of the Church to always preach the truth:

“We too, and especially we bishops and priests, are addressed when Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, gives this admonition to his companion and successor, Timothy: “I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living and the dead, by His coming, and His kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry. Be sober.” (2 Tim 4:1-5).”

On the importance of the moral law and the need to preserve it:

The moral law is the work of divine wisdom and leads man to the promised blessedness (CCC 1950). Consequently, the "knowledge of the divine and natural law is necessary" to do good and reach this goal (CCC 1955). Accepting this truth is essential for all people of good will. For he who dies in mortal sin without repentance will be forever separated from God (CCC 1033). This leads to practical consequences in the lives of Christians, which are often ignored today (cf 2270-2283; 2350-2381 [These numbers of the Catechism condemn the following grave sins: abortion, contraception, euthanasia, pornography, adultery, homosexuality, cohabitation, and more]). The moral law is not a burden, but part of that liberating truth (cf Jn 8:32) through which the Christian walks on the path of salvation and which may not be relativized.

On the importance of the Holy Trinity and of the Incarnation, as distinct from other religions:

The epitome of the Faith of all Christians is found in the confession of the Most Holy Trinity. We have become disciples of Jesus, children and friends of God by being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The distinction of the three persons in the divine unity (CCC 254) marks a fundamental difference in the belief in God and the image of man from that of other religions. Religions disagree precisely over this belief in Jesus the Christ. He is true God and true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Word made flesh, the Son of God, is the only Savior of the world (CCC 679) and the only Mediator between God and men (CCC 846). Therefore, the first letter of John refers to one who denies His divinity as an antichrist (1 John 2:22), since Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is from eternity one in being with God, His Father (CCC 663). We are to resist the relapse into ancient heresies with clear resolve, which saw in Jesus Christ only a good person, brother and friend, prophet and moralist.

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SIGN THE PETITION: Support Cdl. Müller's doctrinal manifesto amid Pope Francis' confusion

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