Cardinal Gerhard Müller didn’t mince words during his recent appearance on EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo. When asked about tensions within the Catholic Church, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered a blunt assessment: “Progressivism is the ideology that’s splitting the Church.”
His comments came in response to Pope Leo’s recent statement about the tension between “tradition and novelty” creating “harmful polarization” in the Church. But Müller sees the situation differently. The real division, he argues, comes from those making “moral compromises” and “relativizing the sacrament of marriage, a revealed truth, with the blessing of homosexual couples.”
The cardinal was referring specifically to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican document issued under Pope Francis that permits blessings for same-sex couples. For Müller, this represents exactly the kind of departure from Catholic teaching that creates genuine division. “That is the splitting of the Church. And not the Traditions,” he emphasized.
His defense of Tradition stems from its foundational role in Catholic teaching. Müller reminded viewers that Tradition stands as one of three “essential” pillars of the Church, alongside Holy Scripture and the Magisterium. This isn’t about personal preference or nostalgia, he explained, but about preserving “the revealed doctrine of the apostles.”
The conversation turned to one of the most contentious issues facing traditional Catholics today: restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass. Arroyo asked why there’s “such antagonism” against the ancient liturgy, and Müller’s response revealed his frustration with what he sees as arbitrary authority.
“I cannot understand these people,” Müller said. After examining the theological arguments behind the restrictions, he concluded there simply aren’t any. “The only argument they have is, ‘We have the authority,'” he observed, “with no reason involved.”
The cardinal took particular aim at Cardinal Blase Cupich’s characterization of the old Mass as a “spectacle.” Müller found this description not just wrong but almost insulting to Church history. “We cannot say” that the centuries of bishops and popes who offered the Traditional Mass “were interested in a spectacle,” he pointed out. Instead, he suggested Cupich’s statement was made “for headlines” rather than from any serious theological position.
With characteristic directness, Müller added, “You cannot pass an examination with me in dogmatics” with such reasoning.
When Arroyo raised Pope Leo’s suggestion that Catholics could simply attend the Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in Latin, Müller provided important historical context. Vatican II never mandated creating an entirely new liturgy, he explained. The main goal was making Mass easier to follow “because they didn’t speak Latin.”
The Traditional rite, Müller noted, is “the same we’ve had since the 6th or the 4th century.” This isn’t just about personal preference, but about maintaining connection with nearly two millennia of Catholic worship. You don’t simply discard something with such deep historical roots without compelling theological reasons.
Müller characterized the crackdown on the Traditional Latin Mass as a “superfluous struggle” that distracts from real challenges facing the Church. “We can struggle with those who are denying the divinity of Jesus Christ but not” with Catholics who prefer traditional liturgies, he said.
The cardinal sees this as fundamentally about power rather than pastoral care. The restrictions represent a “demonstration of authority” rather than concern for “the salvation of souls.” Even more troubling to Müller is how the pope appears to be “usurping the authority of the bishops by ordering the suppression of Traditional Masses.”
The interview also touched on recent Vatican events that concerned Müller. When Arroyo asked about the celebration of Nostra Aetate featuring Eastern and Middle-Eastern music and dance in the Paul VI Hall, the cardinal warned against creating the impression “that all religions are the same.”
This connects to a broader concern about religious relativism creeping into Church practice. Müller stressed that different religions are not “all an expression of a basic religion of mankind.” He criticized Nostra Aetate itself for suggesting people can reach God through non-Christian religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, calling this a departure from longstanding Catholic teaching about the necessity of faith in Christ.
“We cannot mix it all. We are not all Fratelli Tutti,” Müller concluded, referencing Pope Francis’s encyclical that critics argue promotes religious indifferentism.
Perhaps most striking was Müller’s reaction to news about a prayer carpet installed for Muslims in the Vatican Apostolic Library. He called this “relativism” and “a self-relativization of the Catholic Church and of Catholic belief.” The cardinal worried that “they don’t know the doctrine of the Church.”
Beyond theological concerns, Müller sees practical dangers in such gestures. Muslims will “triumph” over having stepped foot inside the Catholic Church and will “interpret it as a sign that we have accepted their superiority,” he warned.
These aren’t merely internal Church disputes. They reflect broader questions about religious identity, truth claims, and the role of tradition in maintaining institutional integrity. For Catholics concerned about preserving their faith’s distinctive character, Müller’s warnings resonate beyond liturgical preferences.
The cardinal’s analysis suggests that attempts to modernize or make Catholicism more inclusive often end up undermining the very foundations that give the faith its meaning and power. Rather than creating unity, these progressive innovations create the real divisions by departing from revealed truth.
For American Catholics navigating these tensions, Müller’s perspective offers clarity about what’s at stake. This isn’t about resisting all change or clinging to outdated practices. It’s about distinguishing between authentic development of doctrine and departures from apostolic teaching.
The cardinal’s willingness to speak plainly about these issues provides a voice for many Catholics who feel their concerns have been dismissed or ignored. His theological credentials and former position at the Vatican give weight to arguments that might otherwise be characterized as mere traditionalist complaints.
As these debates continue, Müller’s fundamental point remains: the Church’s unity depends not on compromising core teachings or traditions, but on maintaining fidelity to the revealed doctrine entrusted to the apostles. True division comes from abandoning that foundation, not from those who work to preserve it.
