The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has
said that the Vatican might consider an ordinariate for Lutherans
wishing to return to full communion with the Catholic Church, similar to
the structure established by Pope Benedict XVI for Anglicans.
Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller conceded that “the Lutheran world is a
bit different from the Anglican one, because among Anglicans there has
always been a sector closer to Catholicism.”
However, he said, some
Lutherans hope for a restoration of full communion with Rome, and the
Church should be ready to receive them.
He suggested that, as with
Anglicans, the Catholic Church might allow Lutherans to preserve “the
legitimate traditions they have developed” while becoming members of the
Catholic Church.
In the eyes of some Lutherans, the archbishop observed, Martin Luther
intended merely to reform the Church, not to cause division among
Christians.
Archbishop Müller added that some Lutherans believe the
necessary reforms were completed by Vatican II.
He added that in his own
native land, Germany, “Protestants are not just opposed to Catholicism,
because they have retained many Catholic traditions.”
Archbishop Müller made these remarks during an appearance at a Roman
bookshop marking the release of his own new book on the thought of Pope
Benedict XVI.