Cardinal Mueller's book-long interview emphasizes indissolubility of marriage

Abp. Gerhard Ludwig Müller, now Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in 2010. (CNS file photo)

Cardinal Mueller's book-long interview emphasizes indissolubility of the marriage | CNA | Catholic World Report blog

"The Hope of the Family" (Ignatius Press) responds to mistakes in understanding the marriage in society

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2014 / 02:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a book-length interview, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller has underscored that the indissolubility of the marriage is no mere doctrine, but a dogma of the Church, and stressed the need to recover the sacramental understanding of marriage and family.

Cardinal Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, granted the interview in June to the Spanish journalist Carlos Granados, director of the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos in Madrid.

The book is titled “The Hope of the Family”, and will be released in English, Italian, and Spanish. It will be published shortly by Ignatius Press, and is priced at $10.95.

In the book, Cardinal Mueller corrects misunderstandings about the Church’s teaching on family; underscores the dramatic situation of the children of separated parents;  and stresses that more education is needed, and that education should start from the reality of the love of God.

The book can be considered Cardinal Mueller's definitive contribution to preparations for the next synod of bishops, dedicated to the family, which will take place in Rome Oct. 5-19; he has chosen to give no further interviews for the time being.

The synod's theme will be “pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization,” and numerous outlets have speculated about a possible change in Church teaching regarding the reception of Communion by those who are divorced and remarried, as well as a more lax discipline regarding annulment.

Despite such speculation, Cardinal Mueller underscored that “the total indissolubility of a valid marriage is not a mere doctrine, it is a divine and definitive dogma of the Church.”

Cardinal Mueller also addressed discussions on the possibility of allowing spouses to “start life over again,” and that the love between two persons may die.

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