Cardinal Gerhard Müller explained, in an interview with the Kathpress news service, that the CDF speaks for the Roman Pontiff, and issues judgments “with the authority of the Pope.”
The office could respond to the four cardinals if Pope Francis authorized it, he said.
But it would be inappropriate for the CDF to intervene in a controversy without the Pope’s approval, he said.
The four cardinals had submitted their dubia to the CDF. But their letter was addressed to the Pontiff.
Cardinal Müller said that reports about a battle inside the Vatican about the interpretation of the papal document were overblown, and reflected the tendency of reporters who see Church affairs in terms of power politics. At the same time, he said that it is important for the faithful to “remain objective and not be drawn into polarization.”
Regarding the most controversial question about Amoris Laetitia—the question of whether divorced and remarried Catholics could be admitted to Communion—Cardinal Müller did not answer directly.
However, he referred to a 1993 directive from the CDF, in which then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger rejected a plan by German bishops to allow divorced couples to receive Communion in some cases.
Cardinal Müller said that Amoris Laetitia should be read in the light of previous papal documents, and that the permanence of the marriage bond should be the “unshakeable foundation” of every pastoral strategy.
He said that Pope Francis was seeking to help couples “find a way that is in accordance with God’s gracious will.”