Mickens attacks Müller for The Fishwrap. Park your logic at the door.

Robert Mickens, recently fired by The Pill (aka The Tablet – HERE), has a column at The Fishwrap (aka The National Schismatic Reporter).  I think I predicted that Mickens would drift over to The Pill’s North American counterpart.  Fishwrap is surely looking for someone to fill John Allen’s empty shoes in Rome.  We shall see if this is a hit and run piece from Mickens or if he will be regularly clomping about as if in dad’s over-sized clogs.

Back to Mickens piece, which is an attack on Card. Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: The Benedict protégé in Francis’ Vatican.

Another example of the outbreak of Fishwrap’s niceness that MSW called for.  HERE

It seems that, under Card. Müller, the CDF “came down hard” on the LCWR, “has opened an investigation into the theological writings of Fr. Michael Amaladoss”, who deserves the examination, and has been “breathing down” the neck of the SSPX.  This is, it seems, all very upsetting for “Vatican II Catholics”, who really like Francis, the most wonderfullest Pope ehvur.

The basic idea is this: Card. Müller is throwing his weight around, a lot, and no one seems to be able to stop him!  The Left’s Knights of the Round Table (Rodriguez Maradiaga, Marx, Baldisseri, Bráz de Aviz, Kasper) can’t stop Müller!  Not even the Pope can stop Müller!  CDF über alles!

But wait!  There’s more.

Apparently, “la Suprema, as the doctrinal office was once known, isn’t so supreme anymore.”

Hmmmm….

Let me get this straight. Card. Müller is smashing everyone in sight and no one can stop him. It even seems that Pope Francis is signing off on what Card. Müller is doing… BUT… the CDF isn’t so supreme among the congregations anymore.

Does someone check the logic of these articles or just the spelling?

If I wanted to praise Müller I couldn’t have done a better job than what Mickens accomplished in reminding us of his work under Pope Francis.

And former Father Greg Reynolds is still excommunicated.

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14 Comments

  1. Zephyrinus1 says:

    Mickens ? Mickens ?

    Didn’t his mother run the Pie-Shop in Blackadder ?

  2. Pnkn says:

    http://www.news.va/en/news/pontifical-acts-3
    Recent appointments of Cardinal Muller:
    Congregation for the Oriental Churches
    Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life
    Congregation for Catholic Education
    Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
    Pontifical Council for Culture

    Perhaps it is Pope Francis who is unstoppable in appointing Cardinal Muller to these positions where fidelity doctrine is important !

  3. Phil_NL says:

    “CDF über alles!”

    It’s a pity ‘Cardinal Müller’ has too many syllables, otherwise one would be tempted to record a version of the Austrian imperial hymne ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gott_erhalte_Franz_den_Kaiser ) with “Cardinal Müller” subsituted for “Franz den Kaiser” and “Kaiser Franz”.

    Maybe Zuhlio could make something out of it, even though I believe it’s not really his style.

  4. benedetta says:

    I am surprised, on a journalistic level and a professional and ethical level, that even the fishwrap would take him in after expressing such biased rage, after the Tablet couldn’t tolerate it. National Catholics deserve better. They are sort of a little niche or specialty, it seems, becoming irrelevant in their own bitterness.

  5. Sam Schmitt says:

    The supposed “logic” of the article is that Pope Francis didn’t want to fire a Benedict appointee after less than one year on the job – it would be seen as a rebuke to the pope emeritus. But the real “logic” is the tired notion that the present pope is the polar opposite of his predecessor (mercy vs. heartlessness, etc.) and forcing every story into this bizarre narrative – even if it doesn’t pass the laugh test. The comments only reinforce the parallel universe stuck-in-the-70s feeling.

  6. LeeF says:

    With the departure of John Allen, the last bit of gravitas left Fishwrap with him. And the left seems to forget that Cardinal Müller has been a friend for decades of Fr. Guiterrez, of Liberation Theology fame. What they really fear on any issue is that just as with Liberation Theology, Card. Müller will take anything that is orthodox and worthwhile and jetison the rest, which means often accepting the goals and rejecting the proposed means to accomplish same.

  7. benedetta says:

    Yes, the narrative is all accusation and hyperbole but there is no there there. People are supposed to get all outraged and up in arms because a Cardinal teaches Catholic doctrine? But that is what they are attempting to orchestrate, like, “A-ha!” The whole tone and tenor is meant to place on the defensive. There is nothing to defend. The people they hate and attack are doing what God has called them to do and nothing else.

    Fishwrap’s stated calling and history is all about inciting people to do their bidding (the bidding of, a few, and, the bidding of a powerful, elitist, empowered and wealthy bigots who hate Catholicism) to live out their hatred upon their neighbors. Catholics should not, and I believe ultimately will not, buy it. There is nothing shocking in what this person is “reporting”…despite the salacious innuendo and tone.

  8. Robbie says:

    I don’t often LOL, but I sure did at the mention of the left’s Knights of the Round Table. Well played, Fr. Z. Well played.

  9. dominic1955 says:

    Isn’t the North American headquarters of the SSPX (or at least Angelus Press) in Kansas City along with the Fishwrap?

    Maybe the both of them need to get together and compare notes. One side seems to think that Cardinal Mueller is making any and all of the men who held the Grand Inquisitor title sound like a bunch of pantywaists and then the other ones seem to think that he’s no more than an Andean scarf-stole over khakis and polo shirt wearing flowerchild.

    Maybe if they worked together on their fact finding they’d come somewhere closer to where the truth resides…

  10. Militans says:

    Here was my comment I left over there (but for how long will it remain?):

    I don’t understand how you can so easily cast aside the words of Christ himself. In your talk of mercy it seems you take the place of the devil that Jesus answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”

    The traditional understanding of doctrines like ‘Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus’ rests on the basic assumption that although we cannot put limits on God’s mercy, we will not put him to the test – God will do what he has promised to do, we can hope for more (knowing of his merciful and just nature) but we cannot presume it.

    To say that, even with the help of God’s grace, we are not capable of living a holy life – that the bar must be lowered – seems to me an insult, not only to the saints, but to Christ’s sacrifice. The Church’s job is to make saints, to sanctify us in this life that we may live in Christ – I was horrified to hear Cardinal Kasper say that we are not all called to be holy (our primary vocation) but that this is only for heroic Christians. I know we are not perfect, but the Church holds out healing grace and the confessional to help us – it is very merciful, it doesn’t condescend and say that we are failures who should live a hedonistic lifestyle but it declares that Christ has given us what we need if only we trust in him when we fall.

  11. Imrahil says:

    Dear Phil_NL,

    you do know what “Müller” would become if you cut the last syllable? Let’s better not do that, we might give them ideas. That said, the common nickname for “Gerhard” is indeed one-syllable, viz. Gerd.

    On another matter, to suggest, as I think Mr. Mickers is suggesting – “breathing down the neck” means “watch very closely” according to the dictionary, it’s not quite clear in my view what he means – that the CDF would be any millimeter friendlier to the SSPX than if its head was not Cardinal Müller, is preposterous.

  12. Imrahil says:

    As a matter of fact,

    as Cardinal Müller seems to have dropped the “Ludwig”, if we can nickname a cardinal he ends up with the rather famous name “Gerd Müller”.

    So, when he again makes a good strike for the Faith, maybe we could recycle that old hit,
    Evryone one unison: ‘Müller on! Müller on!’
    And with my quite special trick, I give it a kick…

    Then it’s like: boomm! (boomm boomm)
    as well it must,
    and evryone cries: ‘Müller does’t!”
    Then it’s like: boomm! (boomm boomm)
    goals ‘t really pours,
    and evryone cries: ‘Müller scores!’

    Sorry for the suboptimal translation, and of course to all those who prefer other sports.

  13. marcelus says:

    @pnkn

    Recent appointments of Cardinal Muller:
    Congregation for the Oriental Churches
    Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life
    Congregation for Catholic Education
    Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
    Pontifical Council for Culture

    Perhaps it is Pope Francis who is unstoppable in appointing Cardinal Muller to these positions where fidelity doctrine is important :

    Pnkn: that is exactly what I said in a previous post. You do not rest so many responsabilities on someone’s shoulders unless…..he is tobe blindly trusted.

    THis seems to be the case with Muller and Francis.

    No Other priest holds so much responsability other the the Pope I guess in the Church.

    So, maybe one appointment coud be considered standart, two.. ohh, one may thinks this man is capable, three…. something is happening here, but 4?? and such important offices???

    You’d have to blind.. no matter where youn stand in terms of orthoxy, NO, VO etc not se see Crnl Muller is a little little little closer to Francis than the rest.

    and it all goes down so quietly.. it leaves you thinking.

    I figure is like the Pope saying.. Please Crnl, would you take care of this for me?

    God bless

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