Targets of Pope's anger like the criticism

Parish Priests Initiative "likes" Pope's criticism

Pope Benedict XVI addressed and rejected the Austrian Parish Priests initiative in a homily on Thursday. Vienna's Archbishop Christoph Schönborn nevertheless sees it as an encouragement for the Church. The initiative itself was "pleasantly surprised" by the criticism.

"The Archdiocese of Vienna sees in the Pope's homilies an encouragement for the Church in Austria," said Archbishop Cardinal Schönborn. On the one hand, it is clear from them how important the Pope considers the debate about the future of the Church in Austria as well. This is "pastoral care that gives courage".

On the other hand, the Pope had addressed "in a very differentiated and thoughtful way" the fundamental problem of every renewal: "The temptation to fulfil one's own will instead of God's." Pope Benedict XVI had pointed to the fundamental basis of every renewal: "To look to Christ and, like him, to try in humility to be obedient to the Father, who, as we Catholics believe, also reveals himself in the Church and her teaching," Schönborn said.

Schüller: Papal criticism "very gentle"

The spokesman of the Parish Priests Initiative, Helmut Schüller, was "pleasantly surprised" by the Papal criticism. Some of his sermon had been "very gentle". There had also been no threat of sanctions. The Pope "accepts that the future of the Church is at stake".

It was also positive that the Pope spoke of the inertia of institutions. The fact that he did not accommodate the reformers on the subject of disobedience was also to be expected, said Schüller. The pastors' initiative is currently networking further on an international level. It is in contact with initiatives from Germany, Slovakia, France, the USA and Ireland, among others, said Schüller - read more in Pastors' initiative wants to become active worldwide.

Pope: "Is disobedience a way?"

Pope Benedict XVI had explicitly rejected the demands of the Austrian Parish Priests Initiative in a sermon at a Mass on Holy Thursday in Rome before some 3,000 priests. "We want to believe the authors of this appeal that they are moved by care for the Church, that they are convinced to tackle the inertia of institutions with drastic means to open new paths. But is disobedience a way?" the Pope asked.

There is a danger, he said, that the pastors' initiative is merely "a desperate urge" to transform the Church according to their own desires and ideas. This way, however, is not in conformity with the attitude of Jesus. Jesus was concerned with "true obedience".

Source

Background to today's Papal blast against disobedience.  Some people simply cannot understand the plainest words.