With the global Catholic Church quietly preparing for the possibility of a new papal conclave, Cardinal Gerhard Müller is urging his fellow clergy to rise above politics and power struggles.
In a recent conversation in Rome with EWTN News correspondent Rudolf Gehrig, the German cardinal shared his thoughts on how the Church should be approaching this critical moment—not with factions and rivalries, but with faith and spiritual depth.
Müller Pushes Back Against “Us Versus Them” Mentality
Müller, who once led the Vatican’s powerful doctrinal office, expressed deep concern over what he described as a growing tendency among Church leaders to label others as either allies or adversaries.
He believes this kind of “friend or foe” thinking does serious harm to the Church, which should instead stand as a beacon of unity.
“The Church is supposed to be a sign and instrument of communion,” he emphasized, adding that drawing lines in the sand only weakens that purpose.
Looking Beyond Labels: A Vision Rooted in Faith
Rather than dividing the Church into camps—whether ideological, geographical, or theological—Müller called for a return to a more faith-centered outlook.
He stressed that leaders should focus less on defending turf and more on building bridges through shared belief.
This message comes at a time when internal debates—especially over the direction set by Pope Francis—have intensified among cardinals and bishops.
Rethinking “Center Versus Periphery” in a Global Church
The cardinal also weighed in on Pope Francis’s emphasis on the “peripheries,” a key theme of his papacy.
While Müller acknowledged the value of elevating voices from outside the traditional centers of power, he warned against creating a new ideological divide—this time between the so-called center and the outer edges of the Church.
In a poetic twist, Müller described the world as a sphere, where everyone is equidistant from the center.
That metaphor, he said, is especially powerful when thinking about the Eucharist.
Whether it’s being celebrated deep in the Amazon rainforest or at the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, it remains the same sacred act, connecting all Catholics through a single, unifying faith.
A Quiet but Urgent Plea Ahead of Big Decisions
As the Church quietly inches closer to the next conclave, Müller’s message is clear: don’t let political alliances or ideological battles define this moment.
Instead, he’s encouraging his peers to remember what binds them—faith, communion, and a shared mission.
At a time when the world often feels fragmented, Müller’s words serve as a timely reminder of the Church’s higher calling: not to mirror the divisions of the world, but to offer something radically different—unity, rooted in something far deeper.