Modernist wants to turn priests into the puppets of their congregations

Pastoral theologian: better control of power in the church

Better control and limit the power of officials in the Catholic Church: This is what pastoral theologian Herbert Haslinger demands. He also says how he envisions the church of the future.

The power of ministers in the Catholic Church should be better controlled and limited, according to Herbert Haslinger, a pastoral theologian from Paderborn. For example, there must be the possibility of a priest being recalled by his congregation, he told the Paderborn church newspaper "Der Dom" (Sunday). "Only if that is given will people accept the power of office."

In a parish, no one can go here and, after consultation and examination, for example, initiate impeachment proceedings, Haslinger criticized. Such mechanisms are not provided for, he said. "Concretely, we experience this in conflicts in parish life, which are sometimes very unpleasant and lived very excessively, because they cannot be ended and the faithful are at the mercy of the ordained." However, the theologian said he does not believe such reforms will happen in the foreseeable future. "The structures of the Catholic Church do not have such mechanisms in their genetics."

The parish of the future

Haslinger is convinced that congregatioTransferred to the congregation, the expert said, that means "pastoral care, a good sermon or assistance in the event of bereavement: what people can expect from the church, they must be able to reliably find on site." Haslinger added: "We don't have to set off fireworks of new ideas in the church, that only leads to the much-cited overload. Simple and reliable, that's enough." 

ns of the future will have to be organized simply. He cited a mountain hut as a model. "A mountain hut provides shelter, food, dryness, sleeping facilities, and - if things go well - a bit of conviviality as well. Those are the things that are important, and hikers need to be able to reliably find them there." That's all it takes, he says. "No glossy furniture, no special suites."

Source