(Rome) Pope Francis is making strong inroads in Latin America, especially Argentina dioceses. However, what about Austria abbeys?
Pope Francis appears to be settling, according to the opinion of some Latin American observers, old scores with bishops. Specifically, this means the "reassignment", "retirement" or "visitation". According to Sitio Andino, the bishop of the Argentine diocese of Puerto Iguazú now suggests that y Zarate-Campana is being "targeted the Pope". "Not very merciful," said the Catholic blogger Francisco de la Cigoña of the papal operation. "There are other bishops who are much worse without anyone intervening," says the church historian. "Will you take action against them too? Then I would not mind. Or is it only those who are not well aquatinted with Cardinal Bergoglio? Is this mercy or revenge? Let us hope that this is just the imagination of a few."
Drewermann Retreat Makes Melk a "Casus"
Among "others" where a visitation of Rome would be more urgent is the Melk Abbey and the local Abbot Gerhard Wilfinger. After the scandal became public knowledge recently, there seems little stir. Abot Wilfinger had commissioned ex-priest, Eugen Drewermann to direct the annual retreat at the Benedictine monastery. Drewermann cashed in for 8,000 euros. The result of his "spiritual instruction" can at best be fruitless, but is probably more subversive.
The Benedictine Abbey of Melk is renowned as the "Austrian Escorial", but less famous, however, is the spiritual radiance of the monastery in its surroundings. After the Drewermann retreats were made public by katholisches.info, informed believers complained to the Apostolic Nuncio and the Congregation of the Faith in Rome about the abuses. Abbot Wilfinger denounced the monks who dared to criticize the Drewermann Invitation with sharp tones.
Abbot's Clique Mainly Engages in Zeitgeist's Criticism of the Church
Wilfinger belongs to a glorious little clique of Austrian abbots, who distinguish themselves especially by criticism of bishops and priests who are more precise with the truths of faith and church order than themselves. The battles which were waged by the late Bishop Kurt Krenn of Sankt Pölten, who passed away in February, against some abbots of his diocese, threw an unpleasant shade. This clique also includes the newly elected Speaker of the Men's Orders of Austria, Abbot Christian Haidinger of the Benedictine Monastery of Altenburg. In his monthly statement he calls for a "change in the Church's sexual morality," which is "the abolition of priestly celibacy" or the "admission of women priests," while the Church's doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage is for Abbot Haidinger a "disaster".
Abt Wilfingers Fashionable Lifestyle Tolerates Monkish Vices
That Abbot Haidinger has become spokesman, demonstrates that his dissenting opinions are in a majority in the Austrian Orders. Wilfinger Abbot of Melk is an example of this. He nurtures the suggestion of the little beloved Pope Benedict XVI. for "detachment from the world" and the expectation of Pope Francis to court a "low church" despite a sophisticated baroque lifestyle. At the same time he tolerates the scandalous behavior of some of his monks. Recently a milker monk was known to live without any embarrassment with a woman in concubinage. Yet he has little to fear from Abbot Wilfinger. In the Austrian Church. In their zeal to be critical of the Church there is little awareness among Austria's abbots that their conduct and that of their monks may affect the credibility of the Church and of Christianity.
Will Rome act? A Visitation of Melk Abbey would be a startling signal having an effect far beyond the Danube monastery, since Melk is not an isolated case. [Collegeville?] So far, the visitation efforts were successfully repelled. In Benedict's Rome the highest ecclesiastical office in Vienna warned before each intervention, that this would result in "schism". This is a myth that has caused serious damage in the past 20 years the Church. [Longer, for good or ill, Collegeville and other Benedictine Monasteries were never reigned in for their questionable liturgical practices and doctrine, see the Liturgical Movement of Parsch, Michel and Beauduin.]
Text: Martha Weinzl
image: tempos / Vebidoo
image: tempos / Vebidoo
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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