Modernism blocked in the Amazon
Bishop Kräutler: Pope decided against "Viri Probati" due to pressure
Bishop Erwin Kräutler remains disappointed by the outcome of the Amazon Synod. He believes that Pope Francis was actually in favor of ordaining "viri probati" – but was pressured into blocking the idea.
The Austrian-born retired Bishop of the Amazon, Erwin Kräutler, is convinced that Pope Francis, due to pressure, did not dare to allow proven married men to be ordained as "proven men." In his post-synodal exhortation "Querida Amazonia" (2020), the head of the Church formulated various visions, for example, on social justice, ecology, and the Church itself—"and up until the Church's vision, we were all happy," said the retired Bishop of Xingu (Brazil) on the podcast "Laut+Leis" (Friday). The Church's vision, too, was initially formulated "wonderfully." It stated, for instance, that everything possible should be done to ensure that people in the Amazon region could celebrate the Eucharist.
"And then came the break," the retired bishop continued. "I ask myself: Who is responsible for this break? Even today, when I read it, it seems to me that there was a second hand, or a third hand, or someone else behind it." He added that he couldn't identify them; he lacked the necessary access. "I still believe that Pope Francis didn't want this, but that he was under so much pressure that he couldn't do otherwise, psychologically or personally." He then no longer dared to allow the ordination of married men to the priesthood, even though he had previously encouraged bold proposals.
Reversible with a signature
"We wanted women to also have access to Holy Orders," Kräutler explains the Amazonian bishops' concerns. Most small parishes are already led by women, the bishop notes. The abolition of mandatory celibacy was also a key issue. "To this day, it's like this: We priests go from parish to parish. And the ideal is that he lives in the parish and lives with the parish—whether that's a man or a woman." A woman can feel a calling just as much as a man. These are all "canonical decisions that can be reversed with a signature," Kräutler says. The bishops had expected Pope Francis to take this step.
Kräutler was Prelate of the Territorial Prelature of Xingu in Brazil from 1981 to 2015 and helped prepare the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon in October 2019. He was also part of the editorial team that summarized the Synod's decisions. According to the report, more than two-thirds of the Synod members voted in favor of allowing the ordination of so-called "viri probati," that is, married men who have proven themselves in life and faith. This step was intended to alleviate the shortage of priests in the Amazon region. However, Pope Francis did not address this vote in his Apostolic Exhortation "Querida Amazonia."
.jpeg)
Comments