by Tom Kington, The Times
After the death of Francis on Monday, the conservative 77-year-old German cardinal Gerhard Müller challenged the late Pope’s agenda
The Catholic Church risks a schism if it elects another liberal leader like Pope Francis, a leading conservative cardinal has warned ahead of next month’s conclave.
Gerhard Müller also cautioned cardinals arriving for the papal vote to avoid the backroom manoeuvres depicted in the Oscar-winning film Conclave.
“It’s not a power game played by stupid people looking to manipulate, like in this film, which has nothing to do with reality,” the German cardinal said.
Müller, 77, has long been a leading light among Catholic conservatives who opposed the “mercy before dogma” approach of Francis, who died on Monday.
Appointed by Francis’s traditionalist predecessor Benedict XVI as the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, Müller kept his job after the Argentinian pontiff’s election in 2013 but soon challenged his leader’s liberal agenda.
In 2017 he was dropped by Francis after criticising the pope’s decision to allow communion for divorcees who remarry outside the church. His views will now carry weight with conservative cardinals determined to elect a doctrinaire successor to Francis.
Nearly 80 per cent of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote may have been picked by Francis, pointing to a potential liberal majority, but the views of many will not be known until they mingle with fellow cardinals at the pre-conclave meetings known as general congregations.