RCC hierarch: Our Shepherd is Jesus Christ rather than Premier
RCC Cardinal Gerhard Muller. Photo: lanuovabq.it
Cardinal Gerhard Muller, a former prefect of the RCC’s congregation on faith, said the Church is not an agency that is subordinate to the state, Her Supreme Shepherd being Jesus Christ rather than the prime minister, LaNuovaBq.it reports.
In his opinion, “the suspension of mass with the participation of worshipers is a departure from Her task, it is a reduction of the Church to being dependent on the state. This is unacceptable".
He is convinced that “secular mentality has affected the Church,” because “it is one thing to take precautions to minimize the risk of infection, but the other is to prohibit the Divine Liturgy.”
“The Church is not a government agency, and no bishop has the right to prohibit the Eucharist,” Muller said and recalled that “we also know how priests were punished by their own bishops for celebrating Mass with several people.”
According to the cardinal, this meant that “the bishops assumed the status of government officials. But our Supreme Shepherd is Jesus Christ, not Giuseppe Conti (Italian Prime Minister – Ed.). The state has its own task, while the Church has its own,” he concluded.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Italian authorities obliged priests to administer communion to the laity in gloves and masks.
Read also
OCU activist admits breaking into UOC church in Sloviansk
Oleksandr Onyshchenko said that the OCU held its first "service" at the Seraphim Church, which had previously been broken into by forcing the locks and doors.
Archimandrite Ioustinos, longtime keeper of Jacob's Well, dies in Jordan
Archimandrite Ioustinos (Mamallos), the keeper of Jacob's Well in Nablus, has died after a prolonged illness.
Pilgrim group from Kyiv Theological Seminary visits Mount Athos
KTS students are making a pilgrimage to the holy sites of Romania, Greece, Mount Athos and Italy.
UOC cathedral celebrates its patronal feast in Ternopil
The service in the cathedral of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia was led by Metropolitan Serhii of Ternopil, concelebrated by four hierarchs.
MinCulture marks centenary of Soviet-era reserve at Lavra's Refectory Church
Representatives of the Ministry of Culture presented awards to the Reserve's employees on the occasion of the anniversary at the Refectory Church of the Lavra.
Conference to mark 1700th anniversary of Christianity adoption held in Georgia
In Georgia, representatives of the Church and the state noted the defining role of Christianity in the country's cultural development.