There is a specific reason why the appointment of Mueller took place notwithstanding any internal or external criticism.  It is the same reason that moved Benedict XVI to appoint Tarcisio Bertone as Secretary of State and to renew his esteem and trust in him several times – most recently through an open letter from the Papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope spends his summers.  The reason is personal trust.  The Pope trusts Mueller, he considers him a personal friend.  He trusts him  so much that he wanted Mueller to be the curator of the publication of his opera omnia in Germany. The relationship between Benedict XVI and Mueller is such that the first argument raised to prevent Mueller’s appointment was that «it would be better for a bishop close to the Pope to remain in Germany, to weather the storm (of challenges to Rome within the Church in that country)».

It is a fact that, traditionally, the German-speaking world does not feel close to Rome and is vulnerable to a sort of crude reformist competition with Lutheranism.  It was from the German- speaking world that the Pfarrer Initiative – the proposals from a group of parish priests for a renewal in the Church and for married priests and the ordination of women – came out.  The Pfarrer Initiative began in Austria and found fertile ground in many parts of the Church in Germany, a national Church already influenced by dissident movements like We are Church – popular with Catholic associations and also among bishops. It is a real challenge, given that Robert Zoellitsch – the president of the German bishops’ conference – does not seem the right man to weather the storm.  Zoellitsch quite unexpectedly jumped to the top of the German bishops’ conference.  As is the case with other national conferences of bishops — except Italy’s, which President is selected by the Pope–  Zoellitsch was voted in by his fellow German bishops, to whom he may feel obliged.  This could weaken his authority and make his job more difficult.  Thus, some within the Sacred Walls lamented: Why on earth not leave Mueller in Germany, to be a counterweight in a Church so rich and also so detached from the Gospel that during his last trip to Germany the Pope himself asked her to be less worldly?

But Benedict XVI trusts Mueller, whose works in dogmatic theology are highly regarded. Furthermore, Mueller is one of the most prominent interpreters of Joseph Ratzinger’s intellectual discourse.  Mueller’s reflections recently focused on the idea of  “un-mundanizing”, which Mueller, then archbishop of Regensburg, explained as a process to «transform and unify.»  Transform and unify can be considered a sort of «synthesis» of Benedict XVI’s thought.  When he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger perfected a method, the same method he used when he was a professor of theology: no complete condemnations, since theology is the always perfectible path to follow the word of God; if there must be a condemnation, the Congregation must deliver two instructions, one pars destruens and the other one pars construens,  as part of  a dialectic process.  Transform what is not good, and then re-unify.  This was the method followed, for example, when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its pronouncements on the Theology of Liberations: first, the Congregation condemned its Marxist orientations (instruction Libertatis Nuntius); then, the Congregation acknowledged its preferential option for the poor (instruction Libertatis Conscientia).  Obviously, this decision was misunderstood in South America.  Leonardo Boff, for example, missed the point, and later decided to leave the Franciscan order and marry; his brother Clodoveo Boff, on the other hand, fully understood the Congregation’s message. The first to understand was Gustavo Gutierrez, the father of the Theology of Liberation, who made some corrections to his book «Theology of Liberation» and joined the Dominican order, probably in order to avoid possible tensions with the local clergy.

Mueller and Gutierrez are friends.  Mueller has been several times to Peru, on visits to the Peruvian Dominicans and to give lessons at the once Pontifical University of Peru – the very same institution from which  the Secretariat of State recently took away the title of «pontifical» because of the university’s lack of adherence to the Doctrine of the Church.  Mueller’s honoris causa PhD from the formerly “pontifical” Peruvian university and his friendship with Gutierrez are underscored in the second round of unsolicited information about Mueller anonymously divulged.  The insidious question being raised: is a friend of Liberation Theology trustworthy?

Contrary to widespread perceptions, Benedict XVI is not an ultra conservative out of touch with reality.  With an attention to detail typical of a professor of theology, the Pope wants us to remember that the Church is founded on Christ and Truth, and that her social impact is meaningless without Faith. At the same time, the Pope readily acknowledges what is good and innovative in the world, and welcomes the opportunity to enter into a fruitful dialogue with new ways of thinking. «Transform and unify» –the key to understand Ratzinger’s «un-mundanizing» prescription– actually constitutes Benedict XVI’s program for Church governance.

And so the Pope did not heed to critics, and appointed his friend as prefect of the most important dicastery of the Curia.  There, some of the most prominent officials of his Pontificate were trained. If one would seek for a sort of “Ratzinger’s school”, he would need to look at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  A Congregation, called La Suprema, which has gained the upper hand recently in its competition for influence with the second section of the Secretariat of State – the diplomatic section.  Thus, one should look to the “old” Vatican diplomats to understand the war that is being waged inside the Vatican.

The sentence “We are Church” was intentionally pronounced by Benedict XVI. The movement We Are Church was created in 1995 with a collection of signatures in support of an «Appeal of the People of God» that proposed the democratic election of bishops, sacred orders for women, the removal of the division between clergy and laity, the elimination of the requirement of clerical celibacy for the clergy, a new sexual morality, etc. The collection of signatures, which came to two and a half million, began in Austria and was then extended to Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Portugal, Canada. The first document was followed by many more.

The epicenter of We are Church is still in Austria and Germany, with a vast following among the clergy, with a certain capacity to exert pressure on the bishops themselves, and with an aura of approval in various seminaries. A few days before Benedict XVI left to Germany, Wir sind Kirche  - the German branch of We are Church – released to the press a statement affirming that «one cannot contrast the crisis of God and the crisis of the Churc» and that the slogan of the trip («Where God is, there the future is») focus on the question of God, but one «cannot ignore the urgent ecclesial problems and difficulties, since the ecclesiasistical structures theirselves severely create hurdles in front of many people that are in search of God and that want to practice their faith in the ecclesiastical communion». «Talking about God – We are Church’s statement concludes – must not become a distraction from the crises and problems within the Church»

Benedict XVI’s plan goes beyond. The Pope set the sight high, and he reaches out for God. By doing it, he drew on the name of We Are Church to reverse its meaning: from a separate and contrasted «we» to a «we» that embraces the Church «in all times and places».

Maybe, the most delicate phase of Benedict XVI’s pontificate started in Germany. Germany has always been characterized by a mass of different movements for the Church renewal. Joseph Ratzinger himself writes  in his autobiography about the wind of change felt in his country long before the Second Vatican Council, which he embraced with enthusiasm. Then, he was aware of the fact that talking too much about the removal of the structures of the Church (from the dogmas to its organization) could bring to lose sight of the center of the life of the christian: the faith in God.

The last year, 150 German theologians signed and delivered the document: «Church 2011, a necessary turning point». Among the issues considered the «main challenges» for the Church of the future, there were:  greater participation of the faithful in the appointment of high ecclesiastical figures, priesthood for married  men as well, a better position for women in the Church, and great respect for same-sex couples. And there is the voice of a Vatican internal report about the German Church, named «Whitesnow and the seven dwarfs». Whitesnow is Annette Schavan, minister of the Education and number two of Angela Merkel in Cdu (now in the middle of a scandal for a 150 thousand dollar private flight to go to a meeting with the Pope in March). The seven dwarfs are the seven deputies of Cdu that – together with Schavan – asked with a public appeal to Benedict XVI to abolish the celibacy of the priests and to authorized married men to be priests. Behind the appeal of Whitesnow and the seven dwarfs there would be prominent German prelates, that aim to bring the Catholic Church to a renoval. Some of this prelates have already been recognized: Hans Langendörfer, secretary of the German Episcopal Conference, Klaus Mertes, rector of Canisius Gymnasium in Berlin, Matthias Kopp, spokesperson of the German Episcopal Conference. Robert Zoellitsch, president of the German Episcopal Conference, would be just a puppet in the hands of these powerful prelates. These prelates would use the German Episcopal Conference as a political platform, in order to gain ecclesiastical reforms. For sure, they use the news daily Suddeutsche Zeitung to develop their ideas. It is the same Suddeutsche that commented the Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany with the title. «He came, he saw, he disappointed».

The pressure within the Church of Germany is very high. But the German problem concerns all the Catholic Church. For example, Benedict XVI’s speeches in Germany had a strong impact even in Austria. Austria and «Germany have a complex relationship – Georg Schimmerl, Austrian, moderator of the web-site www.dernotizblog.com – they have a common language, but the small Austria (that numbers less inhabitants than the Bavaria) suffers of the influence of the Big Germany. Even the artists that lived in Wien – e.g. Mozart – are considered Germans, and not Austrians».

Schimmerl then explains that «even the secularizing trends follow a common path. In Austria there are just the 5 per cent of Protestants, but at the same time the percentage of Catholics diminished during the last years: 20 years ago, the 90 per cent of Austrians was Catholic; today, just the 75 per cent of Austrians are Catholics. The decline of Catholics in Austria is also due to Kirchensteuer, the fiscal law introduced by Adolf Hitler that obliges every Catholic to pay a tax to Catholic Church. Many did not want to pay the tax anymore, especially on the waves of the disappointment after the Groer case – the archbishop of Wien accused of abusing seminarians – and after the clergy abuse scandal».

Finally, the theological issue. «There had not been Austrian theologians of international reputation – Schimmerl explains – Karl Rahner – in fact, a German – is considered the “master” of Austrian theologians, since he taught at Innsbruck University and he was the counselor of cardinal Koeing during the Second Vatican Council. Hans Kung, indeed, is kept in great esteem in Austria, alike Joseph Ratzinger, considered by very few a reference point».

Even because the influence of We are Church groups is strong. In Germany, the «executive arm» of We are Church is the Zentralrat der Deutschen Katholiken – Zdk, the Central Committee of German Catholics. In Austria, the Catholic Action acts like the Zdk in Germany: part of the tops of the Austrian Catholic Action were trained in We are Church, and they also held official positions in the Austrian ecclesiastical structure.

In Germany, 150 theologians began the discussion on the renoval of the Church. In Austria, there had been the document “Parish Priests Initiative”, promoted by Helmut Schuller, former general vicar for the diocese of Wien. The document had been signed by 250 parrish priest, and it invites to disobey Rome, if Rome does not align the Church to the modern times. Is it a real schismatic menace, or is it just the try to create confusion?

It is told that cardinal Schoenborn, archbishop of Wien, usually says privately – but he would never do publicly – that «the true enemies of the Church do not come from the outside, but from the inside»

Benedict XVI said it publicly, during is trip to Fatima in 2010. In Fatima, Benedict XVI began the “purification phase” of his pontificate. The purification is the goal of Benedict XVI. You can reach it by turning back to God. This is what he say in Germany, paving the way for the whole Church.