The Pope’s former doctrinal chief has published a “Manifesto of Faith” in which he warns of the “fraud of Antichrist” being perpetrated by those who fail to teach the faith correctly.

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, writes that there is “growing confusion about the doctrine of the faith.”

In the face of this, “many bishops, priests, religious and lay people of the Catholic Chur-ch have requested that I make a public testimony about the truth of revelation.”

He says it is the task of the shepherds of the Church to guide Catholics on the path of salvation. “This can only succeed if they know this way and follow it themselves.”

But today, many Christians are no longer even aware of the basic teachings of the faith, so there is a growing danger of missing the path to eternal life, he warns.

Cardinal Müller says Christ is the “point of reference,” rather than the “views of a majority or the spirit of the times.”

He drew a rapid response from the German prelate, Cardi-nal Walter Kasper, who writing on the German site Katholisch, says there is no doubt that the manifesto contains many state-ments of faith that every upright Catholic can whole heartedly affi-rm, but there are also problems.