Austria

Dr Martha Heizer, We Are Church - Austria, watched Cardinal Grech's greeting at the closing service of the German Catholic Congress on television. And it got her thinking.

I missed the German Catholic Congress 2026 due to illness. What a shame! But I did follow some of the events through the media, and when the closing service was celebrated in Würzburg, I was at least able to watch it on television. Cardinal Mario Grech was also there – live and in person. With him, a representative of the Vatican was officially present at the German Catholic Congress for the first time. I was pleased about that – and then quite taken aback when he read his message of greeting!

According to the transcript, Cardinal Grech said: "We are truly gifted with the ministry of the bishop for the local Church and the Petrine ministry for the whole Church — ministries that can guarantee that we are fulfilling God's will."

Well, I was startled because I didn't hear a small but important word: "can." And in the context of this sentence, it changes everything; it's about nothing less than the discrepancy between possibility and reality. Was this "can" missing? Was it omitted? Was it inserted into the speech later? Or did I simply not listen closely enough?

In any case, this statement immediately brought to mind the Austrian bishops around Cardinal Innitzer and their appeal to all believers to vote for the annexation of Austria to the German Reich in the 1938 plebiscite, as well as certain episcopal appointments in the 1980s (Kurt Krenn, Hans Hermann Groër, etc.). Following these bishops—which many did—would therefore have meant fulfilling God's will? Really? But even today: What haven't we already witnessed in terms of abuse of power, cover-ups of abuse, ignorance towards the disadvantaged, arrogance, and self-aggrandizement?

And then Cardinal Grech stands there and claims, generally and categorically, that we are "blessed with the office of bishop"! No, it's not that simple: While leadership is certainly important and a bishopric can indeed bring blessings, it also always requires oversight. And that is hardly provided for in our current church system. And that damages the office of bishop—and also the blessing it could actually bring.

I am glad that many people have abandoned automatic obedience and always consult their conscience first before simply following "the bishop" or "the Petrine ministry." What most guarantees that we follow God's will is the "sensus fidelium," the sense of faith of the entire People of God. And even then, we should not disregard conscience. This is ancient Catholic teaching. Please study it again in Rome!

Photo (© Martha Heizer): Bishops at the European Continental Assembly of the World Synod in Prague 2023

Reproduced with permission from the German on the We Are Church - Austria website

Press release 21 May 2026

In light of the media discussions surrounding Vienna Cathedral's parish priest Toni Faber and his repeated appearances with a woman at his side, Austrian church reform movements are calling for an honest discussion about the unfortunate obligation of celibacy for Roman Catholic priests and urge objectivity and sincerity.

The problem is not celibacy itself, but the obligation to it: Any man who wants to become a priest in the Roman Catholic Church today must commit to celibacy. However, the example of many married pastoral workers (pastoral and parish assistants, deacons, etc.) shows that partnership and family do not harm pastoral ministry, but on the contrary, can be very beneficial. And there are even married priests who converted to the Catholic Church from other Christian denominations and received an official dispensation from celibacy: They live their priesthood in full view of the world with their wives and children! If priesthood and married life are not mutually exclusive in the case of these converted priests, why should it be any different for men who have always been Roman Catholic?

The Catholic Church has been carrying the burden of its self-imposed celibacy law, which is not even half as old as the Church itself, for centuries. There have been repeated significant attempts to abolish the obligation of celibacy. The 1995 Church Referendum, which was signed by half a million people in Austria alone, demanded that priests have a free choice between a celibate and a non-celibate lifestyle, and the 2019 Amazon Synod in Rome spoke in favour of the ordination of married men as priests. Unfortunately, Pope Francis, amidst conservative resistance, did not have the courage to take this important step.

The consequences of the celibacy requirement are devastating here as well: Empty seminaries, deserted parish houses, and ever fewer Eucharists at Sunday services. The worst consequence, however, is the double standard that has gripped our Church, leading to a dramatic loss of credibility: Whenever a priest openly acknowledges a relationship with a woman, even publicly, he must fear for his office; but if he lives his relationship somewhat secretly and without public confession, it is readily overlooked. That's not what honesty looks like. And people know it.

It is high time to abolish the unfortunate celibacy requirement for priests.

In any case, it was only introduced in 1139 and has since been, in many eras and countries, often more of a theoretical construct than a lived practice. Above all, celibacy was never a dogma and isn't one today either; it merely takes the form of a church law that, just as it was introduced, could easily be abolished again. Better today than tomorrow.

Harald Prinz, We Are Church: Love is not only a human need, but also a Christian value. Why should it be any different for Catholic priests?

Peter Gardowsky, Priests Without Office: Celibacy and the celibacy debate are causing enormous damage to the Church. We have so many more important tasks!

Helmut Schüler, Priests' Initiative: Priests should be able to decide for or against marriage just like any other person.

Martha Heizer, We Are Church: Pastoral competence must be more important than the priest's lifestyle. Relationship skills are an important criterion for a priest.

Thomas Plankensteiner, We Are Church: Even the 8th Commandment demands truthfulness and credibility. In this respect, most parishes are already much further ahead: By a clear majority of their members, they accept a priest who is known to be in a relationship.

The Leadership Team of Kirchenreform.AT

Helmut Schüller, Pfarrer-Initiative, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 Gidi Außerhofer, Pfarrer-Initiative, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
Wolfgang Payrich, Pfarrer-Initiative, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Herbert Bartl, Priester ohne Amt, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Peter Gardowsky, Priester ohne Amt, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Harald Niederhuber, Laien-Initiative, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thomas Olechowksi, Laien-Initiative, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Astrid Krogger, Wir sind Kirche, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Martha Heizer, Wir sind Kirche, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Harald Prinz, Wir sind Kirche, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.