In the prologue of the book El caballo de Troya en la Iglesia Católica, written under a pseudonym by the priest “Father Enoch”, Cardinal Gerhard Müller launches a harsh criticism of the process of the Synod on Synodality. The German cardinal, who participated in the synodal assemblies of 2023 and 2024 in Rome, argues that these meetings were used as “a means to undermine the hierarchical-sacramental structure of the Church and replace it with an inverted pyramid of government”.
According to Müller, the synod no longer corresponds to its original nature as an episcopal gathering in which the successors of the Apostles, convened by the Pope, freely address topics of interest to the Church. “I saw how the very nature of the synod of bishops had been fundamentally altered”, he stated, lamenting that bishops can no longer express themselves meaningfully before their brothers in the episcopate.
The Book and the Warning
The cardinal recommends reading the book, published by the organization Catholics for Catholics, because he believes it helps to understand the dangers inherent in the synodal process, which he describes as similar to that experienced in Germany. In particular, he warns against the impact this model has on moral doctrine, the family, and society.
The author of the book argues that the method applied in the synod seeks to increase the power and influence of the laity at the expense of the hierarchical teaching and governance of the Church, paving the way for the acceptance of positions contrary to the magisterium, such as LGBT ideology and the ordination of women.
Context and Reactions
The president of Catholics for Catholics, John Yep, explained that the project was born with a spirit of defense of the Church against what he described as an ideological infiltration. He recalled that the publication coincided with the feast of Our Lady of Champion, the only approved Marian apparition in the United States.
In the text, Father Enoch warns that, after the impetus given by Pope Francis, the synodality process continues now with the support of Pope Leo XIV. According to the priest, a three-year itinerary is planned in which dioceses, episcopal conferences, and continental bodies apply the guidelines of the Synod’s Final Document, culminating in a Ecclesial Assembly in Rome in 2028. For this reason, he calls to pray to the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph so that the Pope clearly defends the orthodoxy of the faith.
Other Critical Voices
Müller’s criticisms are not isolated. The Swiss emeritus bishop Marian Eleganti demanded in 2025 that the Church proclaim the Gospel of Christ instead of producing committee and synod communiqués. The Argentine archbishop Héctor Aguer had already warned in 2023 that this synodal process leads to an “implicit approval of sin”.
In recent interviews, Cardinal Müller himself denounced that behind these proposals lies an attempt to reconcile the Word of God with anti-Christian ideologies, particularly the LGBT agenda, which he defined as “the spirit of the Antichrist speaking through them”.