Roger-Luc Chayer (Photo : François Mennesson / France Catholique)
Once again, in the Catholic Church, as in several other religions, a high prelate wearing the purple robe decides to demonize LGBT people because of their sexual orientation, whether they have been baptized or not, whether they are believers or not. All are thrown into the same basket of prejudice and hatred.
Controversial remarks by Cardinal Gerhard Müller on the LGBT pilgrimage
In an interview granted on September 24, 2025, on the site https://fsspx.news/, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, speaking about sexual orientation and a recent LGBT pilgrimage to Rome, had his words reported by the media, which wrote: The discussion revolves around the recent jubilee LGBT pilgrimage to St. Peter’s. For the high prelate, “they desecrated the temple of God… The LGBT movement is absolutely contrary to the will of God the Creator, who instituted marriage as a holy sacrament in Christ, and it is an absolute scandal that this happened,” he stated.
He also mentioned the Mass at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, “with an Italian bishop speaking about the possibility of changing revealed doctrine on marriage and family according to human, carnal desires.” This Mass was part of the jubilee pilgrimage. He then spoke about the entire group passing through the Holy Door, saying:
“They abused the Catholic faith as well as the grace and symbol of the Holy Door — which is Jesus Christ — for propaganda purposes, while living in open contradiction to the will of the Creator.” He continued: “It is astonishing that bishops and priests allowed this counter-testimony of the Catholic faith, in open opposition to the will of God.”
Pressed to continue, he accused these propagandists of sacrilege. He added: “Blessing these couples is also a sacrilege and completely contrary to the Word of God and Catholic doctrine… Moreover, its promoters care neither for eternal life nor the salvation of souls. On the contrary, they promote an anti-Christian ideology that attacks the very concept of marriage and family.”
The Church’s position on the pilgrimage and doctrine
Asked about a possible explanation for the authorization of this pilgrimage, he recalled that the Church must proclaim the faith but also fight error. “Many Catholic bishops opposed Fiducia Supplicans because it represented the wrong pastoral path and was based on a deficient and confused understanding of natural and revealed anthropology.”
Regarding the Pope’s actions, he explained: “I believe Pope Leo wishes to overcome this ideological polarization within the Church. However, this cannot be achieved through compromise. We must speak the truth — and the truth inevitably divides people between those who follow the Word of God and those who do not.”
The Church’s openness since Vatican II
And yet, the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially since the Vatican II Council, are open to the question of sexual orientation and family constitution, and have even recently invited homosexual men to serve the Church as priests, provided they practice abstinence.
The current position of Pope Francis and the Catholic Church
To date, the official position of Pope Francis and the Catholic Church, while faithful to traditional doctrine on marriage and sexuality, generally expresses itself with a more pastoral and inclusive tone than that of Cardinal Müller.
Pope Francis has often emphasized the importance of welcome, respect, and compassion toward LGBT people, while maintaining that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. For example, in his exhortation Amoris Laetitia (2016), he stresses the need not to judge hastily or exclude homosexual persons from the life of the Church. He also said in 2020: “Homosexual people have the right to a family. They are children of God and have the right to a family. No one should be rejected or discriminated against because of this.”
On an institutional level, the Vatican continues to reject the blessing of same-sex unions, in accordance with traditional Catholic doctrine, as confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2021.
Following remarks like those of Cardinal Müller, the papal hierarchy has not always spoken directly, but Pope Francis’s general tone is one of a call to dialogue, mercy, and pastoral accompaniment, without denying fundamental teachings.
The official position combines the maintenance of doctrine with a call for understanding and respect, sometimes contrasting with the stricter and more polemical tone of certain prelates.
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