Different perspectives of Austrian bishops and priests

The perspective from the church hierarchy is often quite different from that of the church on the ground. For example, consider the respective takes on the ongoing call for reform by the "priests' initiative" in Austria from the Austrian bishops and the priests themselves.

First, we hear from the bishops
Christa Pongratz-Lippitt
Oct. 26, 2012

VIENNA AUSTRIA In a 15-page pastoral letter, which Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna admitted was the "outcome of intensive dialogue with Rome," the Austrian bishops insist that renewal of faith in full communion with the pope and the church's magisterium, and with special emphasis on church unity, is the only way out of the stalemate between the bishops and the Austrian Priests' Initiative, which demands far-reaching structural church reforms.

The pastoral letter, titled Jahr des Glaubens or "Year of Faith," has a special chapter on the ongoing deadlock in the Austrian church since the Austrian Priests' Initiative, which has more than 400 members, published its "Appeal to Disobedience" in June 2011. The initiative, which has the support of a large number of Austrian lay Catholics, calls for radical church reforms, including the ordination of married men and women.

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According to Schönborn, after intensive talks with Vatican authorities, the Austrian bishops had agreed to use the Year of Faith to state their "position on the controversial issues under discussion in Austria with absolute clarity.

" "And that is what we have done at Rome's request -- but also from our own, personal conviction," Schönborn said at the news conference.

The chapter in the bishops' pastoral letter titled "Reform Backlog?" begins:

We do not want to conceal what we are repeatedly being told in private and in public, namely that there is widespread dissatisfaction with the church situation and particularly with "church leadership," that is, with us bishops and with Rome. Behind this dissatisfaction, there is usually deep concern about a way forward for the church and about its future. Pope Benedict XVI showed how well-informed he was about these concerns in his impressive sermon at the chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday [April 5], in which he went into the "Appeal to Disobedience" by a group of priests in Austria. Many people in our country are under the impression that "no progress is being made," that "we're not moving forward" and so the catchphrase "reform backlog" has established itself. On the other hand, we bishops have been saying quite clearly for more than a year now that an "Appeal to Disobedience" cannot be left uncontradicted. Does this mean that we will now remain in a sort of "no-win situation for everyone involved," in which we continue to goad one another with more and more accusations? We see the Year of Faith as a chance being offered us by the Lord to find a way out of apparent or real deadlocks together.

The bishops go on to say that they share the concerns behind certain demands for reform. "Many Catholics are above all worried about the shortage of priests. In some parts of our country this is being felt more and more acutely. More and more people, whether they belong to the church or not, find it difficult to understand why the conditions for priestly ordination cannot be changed in such an emergency and why 'proven married men' (viri probati) cannot be ordained. They think that we bishops should put pressure on Rome to reform the present stipulations. What most people overlook, however, is that the Second Vatican Council decided in favor of retaining mandatory priestly celibacy in the Roman Catholic church and that all the episcopal synods since the council have confirmed this. Should this not be seen as a sign from the Holy Spirit?"

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"We remain in dialogue but some demands can only be made at the expense of church unity and that cannot be our [the bishops'] aim," he said.

The Austrian bishops did not think that their differences with the Priests' Initiative would lead to a schism, Schönborn said. He suggested that all those involved should take a "step back" (he used the English words) and take a critical look at the deadlock with the aim of finding out what they had in common.

In his archdiocese, Schönborn said, he would continue the policy of not appointing to leadership posts priests who had signed the appeal. One cannot represent the bishop and at the same time support an appeal against the bishop, Schönborn said.

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Full article at National Catholic Reporter

And how do the Austrian priests assess the situation? (as reported by an Irish priest)

Fr. Seán McDonagh, SSC

Oct. 25, 2012

I arrived in Vienna on October 19th 2012 to attend the Annual General Meeting of PFARRER –Initiative (parish priests initiative) I met Fr. Helmüt Schueller, one of the leaders of the Initiative at midday and we proceeded to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the centre of the city. Over coffee Helmüt told me how the Initiative began in 2006. It arose because many priests felt that the Austrian Bishops and the Holy See are not addressing the serious crises which are affecting the Catholic Church right across the globe, but particularly in Austria. Furthermore, Helmüt argues that the Catholic Church shows little respect for the dignity of the baptized and refuses to allow priests and lay people to have any genuine involvement in the decision making processes of the Catholic Church.

In 2008, a number of priests associated with the movement went to Rome. They met with officials at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). One of the senior officials agreed that none of the positions taken by the movement were heretical. However, a younger official declared that almost everything the movement was looking for was heretical.

Membership of the Initiative is open to all priests, including those who have left active ministry. The number of members now stands at around 500 priests out of a total of 3,000 priests in Austria. As we sipped coffee, Helmüt told me that research conducted by Professor Paul Zulehner shows that more than 75 percent of the priests in Austria actually support the aims of the Initiative. They are often afraid to join, as it may affect their career paths in the Church. It seems that anyone associated with the Initiative will not be nominated as a dean in any of the Austrian dioceses

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The Initiative has had little contact with the Austrian bishops during the past year. The leadership believes that the Austrian Bishops are afraid of Rome: They are prepared to take orders from Rome, rather than listen to the pastoral needs of the people.

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Talking to priests during the coffee break, I got the distinct feeling that the priests did not believe that the Austrian bishops had any serious plans to meet the pastoral needs of the people, as the number of priests diminishes, through death or retirement. The only initiative which the Bishops are promoting is the clustering of parishes, and both priests and laity are against this.

A number of priests said that members of the Initiative should think long and hard about joining in ‘dialogues’ with bishops and deans when they know that changes are not going to happen. By joining in such dialogues priests are lending their support to ecclesial structures which are not in line with the thinking of Vatican II. As one priest was speaking on this issue, I was reminded of the participation of ACP members with the Visitors which were sent from Rome in 2011. Members of the ACP put a lot of effort into preparing for the various meetings with the visitors. None of this was reflected in the summary of the final document which came from Rome.

At the open forum, a number of priests said that they believe that the bishops, like Lot’s wife, are continually looking over their shoulders at what Rome wants rather than acting as genuine pastors whose primary obligation is to ensure that there are ministers in the Church who will continue to celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments. Many criticized the present way of choosing bishops. Catholics, priests and lay people, should have a role in choosing bishops.

A number repeated the phrase – act, don’t ask! Others spoke of the importance of modeling the view of Church which the Initiative espouses in the parishes where members are serving. Others bemoaned the fact that ecumenism seems to have been relegated to the back burner.

The Initiative encourages priests and people to speak out courageously about the present dysfunctional structures in the Catholic Church. A lot of the participants emphasized the need for courage and solidarity.

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Full article at the Association of Catholic Priests