VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
During this morning’s chrismal mass, Benedict XVI referred to the appeal signed by Austrian priests and called for “the Church not to be transformed according to our wishes and ideas”
Andrea Tornielli
Vatican City
In his homily said during this morning’s chrismal mass in St. Peter’s, Benedict XVI referred explicitly to the appeal by dissenting Austrian priests for reforms and the possibility for women to be ordained to the priesthood. Speaking of a priest’s “faithfulness to Christ” and the difficulties in achieving this, “given the often dramatic situation in the Church today,” the Pope said: “A group of priests in a European Country recently published an appeal for disobedience, which should even ignore definitive decisions set out in the Magisterium – for example on the question of women’s ordination. The Blessed Pope John Paul II had made a definitive statement on the subject, saying that the Church had received no authorisation from the Lord on this matter.”
“Is disobedience a way of renewing the Church?” Ratzinger asked himself. “We want to believe the authors of this appeal – he added – when they claim that they are motivated by their concern for the Church; that they are adamant that the slowness of Institutions should be dealt with by taking drastic measures to open up new paths – so that the Church can keep up with the pace of today’s world. But is disobedience really the way forward? Is it possible to perceive, in this, elements of faithfulness to Christ – which is the prerequisite for real renewal – or is it just a desperate push for something to be done, for the Church to be transformed according to our wishes and ideas?”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.