The session was held at the Fairview-Clifton German
Language School
Under the title of "Catholic Tipping Point Tour," Schüller
recalled the start of the Initiative in 2006 as a response to several issues
facing the Church in Austria and in the world at large, such as the decline in
the number of priests, the closing of parishes, the failure to allow the laity greater sharing
of responsibility for the Church's mission and ministry.
After efforts at dialog with Austrian bishops and less than
successful meetings with Church officials in Rome , the members of the Initiative decided
to make a bold appeal for disobedience of specific Church disciplines,
including the prohibition against talking about ordination of women and of married
men to the priesthood.
Other areas of concern are the prohibition of preaching by
competent lay people as well as the refusal of communion to members of Christian
churches, to divorced-remarried people, and to those who have officially left the Church.
Inclusion of a petition for church reform in every liturgy,
refusal by priests to travel from parish to parish to parish to offer
multiple Masses on Sundays and feast days, and advocating the appointment of a
"presiding leader" in every parish (a re-imaging of the priesthood)
as an antidote against closing or consolidating parishes are other issues promoted by
the Initiative.
In his Cincinnati
talk, Schüller described himself as "a common priest, not a rebel," as one of many pastors who are trying to lead
"the Church into a very uncertain future." He added, "We have to
be advocates of the people of the Church."
Schuller, though dubbed by some of his critics as "ein
unruhestifter" (a trouble-maker), comes across as a mild mannered, soft-spoken
advocate, out-going and yet as eager to listen as to talk.
His remarks were occasionally punctuated by applause from
his Cincinnati
audience, the majority of whom were women, and most of them senior citizens. (He
noted that according to a newspaper item, 80% of the Church's services in the USA are offered
by women.)
Schuller was born in Austria on December 24, 1952. He was
ordained in 1977, and has served in several positions in the Vienna diocese, including for four years as
Vicar General for Cardinal Christoph Schőnborn, who dismissed him from that
office for his differing opinions.
He remains today pastor of St. Stephen Church in the village of Probstdorf
In November of 2012 the Vatican withdrew from him the title
of Monsignor though no reasons were given for the retraction.
Addressing the appeal to disobedience and the reaction it
has garnered, Schüller based the Initiative's bold statement on the grounds
that in many cases the hierarchy's expectation
of obedience is a means to stifle reform and their use of "obedience"
itself lacks control and accountability.
Further, Schüller explained, the members of the Initiative
realize there are many cases of silent disobedience every day (e.g., lay
persons preaching, or priests' giving communion to non-Catholics) and so the
call to disobedience simply articulates what is already happening.
Although the Austrian Priests-Initiative and Schüller in
particular are irritants to Cardinal Schőnborn, the Austrian hierarchs are
reluctant to stifle or retaliate in light of the overwhelming support the
Initiative has garnered among Austrian Catholics.
About 15% of the Austrian priests are publicly members of
the Initiative, and some 80% of the laity are judged to support its objectives.
One powerful motivating force energizing the Initiative is
the lingering spirit of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Council's
teaching on the Church as communio
and the recognition of the sensus
fidelium.
The Council, Schüller said, was a gift to the Church, not a
danger. He also warned against the possible connotation attached to the English
term "lay," since in the language of many the term "lay" implies
one is uninformed, unprofessional, or even incompetent.
On the evening of his public talk, Schüller also met with a
group of Cincinnati-area priests to discuss the Initiative and to affirm that
"Wir sind eine Kirche bewegung" (We are a Church movement).
There are approximately 45 priests in the Cincinnati
area who are members of the US
version of the Initiative, that is, the Association of United States Catholic
Priests (AUSCP). There are similar associations of priests in Ireland , Australia ,
England , and Germany .
Though some US hierarchs have forbidden Schüller to speak in
church-owned buildings during his tour, his audiences have numbered some 250 in
New York, 500 in Boston, 350 in Philadelphia, 500 in Chicago, and the 300 in
Cincinnati.
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