AUSTRALIA
Catholic Sentinel
Catholic News Service
VIENNA — The head of the Austrian bishops’ conference backed the excommunication of members of the dissident “We Are Church” movement for “celebrating” Masses without a priest.
“If someone takes a clear stand against something as central for our church as the Eucharist and propagates an idea far beyond our faith, this is a serious step outside the church’s fellowship,” said Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn. “But we are all under one common roof, and the door is always open to the return of those affected.”
The cardinal spoke after the excommunication “latae sententiae” (automatically) of Martha Heizer, We Are Church’s chairwoman, and her husband, Gert Heizer. Bishop Manfred Scheuer of Innsbruck announced the excommunication May 21.
Cardinal Schonborn told Austria’s Kathpress news agency May 23 that he believed Bishop Scheuer had been “mild and circumspect” in handling the case and had “tried everything” to dissuade the Heizers from their actions.
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