March 15, 2024 / 12:59 PM
In a recent publication in the theological journal First Thingsthe Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, Bishop Charles J. Chaput, criticizes the role of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican, questioning the validity of his thinking in crucial aspects of Catholic doctrine.
In the opinion column, the American archbishop points to Cardinal Fernández, originally from Argentina, as the “close collaborator, advisor and sometimes ghostwriter” in the ministry of Pope Francis. But in addition, he heads a dicastery “vital for the lives of the faithful,” whose task is “to protect the integrity of Catholic teaching and practice.”
“Fernández thus occupies a position of unique importance, just as Joseph Ratzinger did before him. But in its thought and substanceFernández is a man very different from its great predecessor”says Bishop Chaput.