An internationally renowned group of reform-minded priests in Austria has criticized the world’s bishops for not capitalizing on Pope Francis’ openness to make significant changes in Church ministry and pastoral practice.
The Austrian Priests’ Initiative (API) is urging the bishops to take up the leeway the pope has given them to look at such issues as the possibility of ordaining married men of proven virtue (viri probati) to the priesthood, women to the diaconate and allowing remarried divorcees to receive the Eucharist in certain cases.
At a press conference in Vienna on May 4th, the API, which was founded in 2006, said Francis had opened door after door for a new way of dealing with these urgent questions in our Church.
But it said that while the pope has invited the bishops’ conferences to make “courageous suggestions” the bishops “have, for the most part, failed to respond.”
“We would like to wake up our bishops and encourage them to take up the pope’s suggestions,” said API initiator, Fr Helmut Schüller.
The 64-year-old priest, whose group includes more than 400 members, previously served as Cardinal Christoph Schönborn’s vicar general in the Archdiocese of Vienna. A former head of Caritas Austria, he led a “call to disobedience” in 2011, which led to the Vatican (under Benedict XVI) to strip him of the honorary title, “monsignor.”
However, he has remained a priest in good standing in the archdiocese and has continued to lead calls for Church reform.
At the recent press conference in Vienna, the Schüller-led API said there was little understanding for mandatory priestly celibacy in the parishes, especially since some parishes now have married (Greek-Catholic) priests.
