Cardinal Schönborn being kept in office to sustain the Synod

 "Church bashing not only harms the Church".

Catholics are celebrating Easter - and ten years of Pope Francis. The renowned pastoral theologian Paul M. Zulehner takes stock of the pontificate and also looks at the church grass roots.

It is his eleventh Easter as Pope. Ten years ago, Francis had been in office less than three weeks when he gave the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. Before that, he had caused a stir by washing the feet of prisoners (including two women). This was not to be the only action of this new pope, with which he won over many Catholics at the grassroots and also raised hopes for reforms. But how does the Catholic Church stand now after ten years under Pope Francis? The "Wiener Zeitung" spoke with the internationally renowned pastoral theologian Paul M. Zulehner about this.

"Wiener Zeitung: Pope Francis gave the Easter blessing for the first time in 2013. What is the balance of his pontificate after ten years?

Paul Zulehner: He has published important encyclicals on central issues of the world, for example "Laudato si'" on the climate emergency, "Fratelli tutti" on universal solidarity, also "Amoris laetitia". Some were disappointed with the Amazon Synod because he could not yet make up his mind about the concern for "personae probatae", persons with parish experience who could be ordained. Then, of course, he launched the mega-process of synodalising the church, where one can be very curious about what will be on the synodal table by 2024. One hope is that there will at least be some kind of decentralisation of the universal church.

In Germany, the "Synodal Path" has gone far ahead with its reform requests on celibacy and women's ordination, which Rome openly rejects. If the Synod does not accept any of these concerns - can this lead to division in Germany?

The key question is not what Rome thinks of the German synodal process, but whether the Germans - and, for that matter, the Australians, who even dealt with exactly the same issues in a plenary council - will succeed in getting many takers, priests and laity, at the synod. It is likely that many more lay people, including women, will participate than before. I am also sure that the bishops of Amazonia will bring their concerns back to the table. The key question is: Will the individual regional areas of the Church gain fellow campaigners?

Paul M. Zulehner, born in Vienna in 1939, is a pastoral theologian (from 1984 to 2008 he was a full Professor at the University of Vienna), sociologist of religion and author of many books. 

What speaks for the Germans is that they are very good theologically. Without them, the Synod will not be possible. With "Amoris laetitia", the German bishops, including Cardinal Schönborn, helped to make access to the sacraments for remarried divorcees a possibility.

But if the Germans and their fellow campaigners fail - is there a threat of schism?

No, it's like in a democracy, which does not dissolve if a group is unsuccessful. If the Church relies on participation, on discussing and dealing with issues together, and one side does not prevail, then the time was not yet ripe.

In Vienna, the succession of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn is pending. One hears that the Pope still wants him as acting Archbishop at the Synod and therefore does not replace him beforehand .... . .

The Synod needs excellent theology, as was seen at the Second Vatican Council. Without Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI, note), Yves Congar or Karl Rahner, the Council would not have happened as it did. And so the Synod also needs the best theologians if you want something really theologically watertight for the future of the Church. I can imagine that Schönborn is one of those whom the Pope trusts, and he therefore makes those who might want to become Archbishop of Vienna wait even longer.

If theology is so significant, how important do the office holders, the bishops, the Pope remain?

If participation becomes stronger, the one who presides is more bound and involved. Some conservatives fear that the pope decides things, while progressives, strangely enough, expect him to decide authoritatively as before. Even the reformers have not understood that a synodically involved Pope cannot decide like an absolutist ruler. In view of the desired synodalisation, he cannot simply say: I am now introducing married priests. It remains to be seen to what extent he succeeds in changing the consciousness of the universal church, but also church law.

Has interreligious dialogue progressed further under Francis than before him?

It is said that Benedict XVI made many a faux pas here. But there has already been a strong development under John Paul II and Benedict XVI to pray together, to build up contacts, to bring theologians together, to produce joint documents.

to issue joint documents. The interplay of religions is becoming increasingly important because religions are one of the crucial resources of hope in a reeling world. The climate emergency, the migration issue, the question of war and peace - these are mega-challenges that are driving the world to the brink of the abyss. I am convinced that church-bashing, craning the church is not only harmful to the church, but against the interests of the world. I am not the only one who says that, many people write that. Tomas Halik and I have made an appeal: respect religions, protect them. They have faults, they need to renew themselves, but without religions the world will have a bad future.

But religions have also often failed. The Patriarch of Moscow, for example, makes many doubt that religions do anything to improve the situation . . .

Patriarch Kyrill is concerned with having the founding monastery of the Russian Orthodox in Kiev back with Russia. This is very short-sighted thinking, because it will be just like Christianity after the Thirty Years' War - bloody hands, a serious blow to the credibility of his Church. World Orthodoxy is maximally alarmed by the Moscow Patriarch's actions. Many bishops and theologians say: Patriarch, read the Gospel and not just the government declaration of your friend Putin. The Pope has also said something similar to the Hungarian bishops, who prefer to listen to Viktor Orban because it benefits them. I call this simply betrayal of the Gospel.

Every Easter we remember attempts to align the Easter dates of the different churches . . .

In Ukraine they have started to do so.

But also in protest, to break away from Moscow . . .

Of course, there has been an acceleration now, but these considerations are older than the war. I think we are on the right track and it is really important. If the churches say that we are the sacrament of the unity of the world, then we should also celebrate the great feasts of the Nativity and the Resurrection together.

For the sake of the world, there needs to be an acceleration of ecumenism. And I think that many in the different denominations and religions are doing this wisely - like Pope Francis who, with the Grand Imam of Abu Dhabi, is issuing a joint document on humanity which clearly states: We are one humanity, we all have equal rights, we are all created by God. It would be a good hope if from this Good Friday in which the world is now living, a just Easter peace grows throughout the world, not only in Ukraine, but also in Syria, Palestine, Mali, Eritrea, Yemen . . . Even Afghanistan is not pacified, there it has become a war of men against women. What is happening there is outrageous!

Keyword Good Friday. Until recently, it was an official holiday for Protestant Christians, but now they can only choose it as a "personal holiday". Wouldn't it have made sense and been possible to exchange it for a Catholic holiday, such as Whit Monday?

I don't think that's what the business community wanted. It is a miserable sign to humiliate the small important Protestant Church like this, and the Catholics would do well to say: we are giving up one of the non-central church holidays. But I'm afraid that the population and also the politicians don't want to do without it, because these marginal holidays - Corpus Christi, Ascension Day, Whit Monday - are, after all, extensions of the holiday. And they are not at all amused if one day is taken away from them just so that the Protestants can celebrate.

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