A worried man. American journalist Diane Montagna spoke in mid-September, in Rome, with Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller. According to the former prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of faith, the decline of Christianity, combined with the migratory influx, could transform the religious face of Europe. “In Germany, 30 % of the population is not of German origin and it is mainly young. In twenty to thirty, Islam could become the dominant religion ”he assures.
“” My native country, Mainz, was 70 % Catholic fifty years ago. Today, this figure fell to 27 %. If the trend continues, the situation could resemble that of North Africa, which was Catholic until the 7th century before becoming entirely Muslim five centuries later ”he develops.
“The risk of a civil war”
Faced with this threat, the cardinal castigates the passivity of part of the ecclesial hierarchy: “Many of our bishops turn their eyes. They want to be loved by everyone, but few measure the severity of the situation. »» According to him, religious freedom in Germany exists in theory, but “Muslims are very present in public space, while Christians sometimes hesitate to organize a procession for fear of hitting.”
“” The mission of the Church is to proclaim the truth and to denounce the error ”
During this interview, Gerhard Ludwig Müller also draws a parallel with what he considers the excesses of “Wokism”. The latter believes that “Woke groups instrumentalize Islam to weaken Christian identity and Western tradition. But they could be the next victims, because there is no chance that Islam will adopt their ideals. ”
Worse, the cardinal goes so far as to consider a confrontation scenario: “A million people arrived from Syria, often without speaking a word of German. They were offered resources without consideration. The day they are exhausted, the risk of an internal conflict, even a civil war, cannot be excluded. »» For this theologian deemed to be uncompromising, it is not a question of diplomacy: “The mission of the Church is not to adapt the faith to the times, but to proclaim the truth and to denounce the error”he insists.
A changing country
Across the Rhine, the German government was forced to tighten the tone in the face of the growing influence of Islam, especially Turkish preachers. Since 2024, the country has formed approximately one hundred officiants per year in its territory to supply its 2,500 mosques. “We need religious leaders who speak our language, know our country and defend our values”had at the time argued the Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser, qualifying this initiative as“Important step for the integration and participation of Muslims in German society”.
Not that the latter lived reclined in the shade of the minarets … In Cologne, Germany, the muezzins ring the time of prayer every Friday. The city authorized them there in 2021, following in the footsteps of around thirty German municipalities where this sound ritual, formerly marginal, settled in the heart of public space. In Düren, the mosque has broadcast these messages three times a day since the early 1990s. The change of landscape is, it seems, indeed in progress.
