In an extensive interview that promises a second installment, journalist Diane Montagna converses with Cardinal Gerhard Müller, emeritus prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who addressed issues of utmost relevance in the Church and society: the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, the pontificate of Leo XIV, the threat of Islam in Europe, and the recent scandal of the LGBT pilgrimage to Rome in the context of the Jubilee of Hope.
Müller: “Charlie Kirk died as a martyr for Jesus Christ”
Asked about the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, the cardinal stated that he was a victim of an atheistic ideology “whose followers satanically celebrated the crime.” For Müller, Kirk did not die as a mere political target, but as a witness to Christ:
“Charlie Kirk gave his life as a sacrifice for the truth that man was created in the image of God, male and female. He defended the beauty and sanctity of marriage and family against the lie of trans ideology”
The cardinal also highlighted that Kirk prayed the Rosary and had recently invoked the Virgin Mary as a model and response to the evils of the time. He asked the Lord and the Mother of God for consolation for his wife and children.
A pontificate with greater centrality in Christ
Regarding the first months of Pope Leo XIV, Müller noted that he perceives “a proclamation more centered on Christ, with greater order and less emphasis on secondary issues like migration.” The Church’s primary mission— he added— is not only material assistance, but “to preach the Gospel to all, including those who arrive in Europe.”
The cardinal warned of the danger of progressive Islamization, recalling that in Germany there are already “eighteen knife attacks a day and several group rapes,” with hardly any social or political reaction. “If the situation continues like this, Germany could end up like North Africa after the seventh century: regions that were once Catholic and became completely Muslim,” he warned.
Wokeism: “The new mask of Marxism”
Asked by Montagna if “wokeism” is on the same level as communism, Müller answered affirmatively.
“It is the continuation of Marxism. It denies the immortal soul and reduces human dignity to what ideological elites like the World Economic Forum dictate”
According to the cardinal, this movement destroys personal identity, stable family relationships, culture, and history. In addition, he denounced the instrumentalization of Islam by woke groups to weaken Christianity in the West.
The “LGBT Jubilee”: “A profanation of the temple of God”
One of the hottest topics in the interview was the scandal of the LGBT pilgrimage, held in September in the Church of the Gesù and St. Peter’s Basilica, with the presence of priests, nuns, and Jesuit James Martin.
Müller was categorical:
“They profaned the temple of God. The LGBT movement is contrary to the will of the Creator, and turning the Church into propaganda for this ideology is a sacrilege”
The cardinal cited St. Paul (Romans 1:24-25; Ephesians 5:3-5,25-26) to emphasize that homosexual acts have been condemned since antiquity and that bishops and priests who support these events openly contradict Catholic doctrine. He also recalled that the Second Vatican Council, in the constitution Gaudium et Spes (47-52), reaffirms marriage and family according to Revelation.
“There can be no compromise between truth and error”
In reference to the audience that Pope Leo XIV granted to Father James Martin on September 1, Müller acknowledged that such gestures can be instrumentalized, though he trusted in the Pontiff’s doctrinal clarity. Nevertheless, he warned that the Church cannot limit itself to proclaiming the truth: it must also “contradict the lie.”
“The Council of Nicaea not only proclaimed the faith, but condemned Arius as a heretic. In the same way, today we must refute errors inside and outside the Church”
For the cardinal, the current polarization is not overcome with empty dialogue, but with fidelity to revealed truth: “Whoever speaks clearly will be attacked, but silence only gives wings to the enemies of the Cross.”
The witness of young saints against ideology
As a contrast to what happened at the “LGBT Jubilee,” Müller emphasized the need to propose authentic models of holiness to young people. He recalled that Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis were recently canonized, examples of Christian life that, as he told Montagna, show the path of “cooperating with the grace of the Holy Spirit to grow in holiness.”
“This is what we need to promote,” the cardinal concluded in his interview, of which a second part will be published tomorrow.