Premonstratensians in crisis - unsuitable new members, infighting in abbeys: Abbot General settles accounts- the fruits of Vatican II

Abbot General paints a bleak picture

The Premonstratensians are the fifth oldest order in the Church – but little remains of their former grandeur. Abbot General Jos Wouters describes the situation of his community in stark terms. Can reforms save the order?

The Abbot General paints a bleak picture of the future of his order. Most European abbeys have no future, Abbot General Jos Wouters told the "Nederlands Dagblad." Those who are still interested in monastic life are often unsuitable: Increasingly, prospective members are psychologically vulnerable. “Out of a survival instinct, monasteries take in such people, even though they are completely unsuitable,” Wouters continued. The Church has become a marginal phenomenon in society: “And it attracts people from marginalized groups.”

Given the size of his order, it is impossible to provide such people with a “difficult past” with adequate training. Within his religious community, there are a number of other fundamental problems that need to be addressed clearly and openly. Wouters's remarks were prompted by research conducted by the “Nederlands Dagblad” into the conditions at the Dutch Berne Abbey, where a culture of fear and power struggles is said to have persisted for years.

Poisoned atmosphere in abbeys

The Abbot General confirms these conditions. A poor religious culture prevails in many abbeys. Attempts are made to compensate for inner weakness with a great lust for power: "Religion then acts like an exoskeleton, similar to a lobster that has no internal skeleton: it is hard on the outside to conceal the weakness within." Relentless conflict over religious and liturgical views leads to a poisoned atmosphere in the abbeys. "People within a community then become adversaries, and ordinary, normal, friendly, comradely, and fraternal contact is hardly possible anymore."

As Abbot General, he reaches his limits in this regard. He lacks the authority to intervene in the autonomous abbeys, and the results of visitations are often ignored. According to Wouter, the next General Chapter of the Order, scheduled for 2030, must therefore address the question of the autonomy of individual monasteries. In addition to the question of minimum size for monasteries, questions of guidance and oversight also arise.

Wouters has been a member of the Premonstratensian Abbey of Averbode in Belgium since 1978, serving as its abbot from 2006 to 2018. Since 2018, he has been the Abbot General of his order. According to its own figures, the order currently has 1,600 members in 81 houses worldwide. The Premonstratensians were founded in the 12th century by Norbert of Xanten. In Germany, there are still three abbeys in Duisburg, Speinshart (Upper Palatinate), and Windberg (Lower Bavaria), as well as priories in Magdeburg and Roggenburg (Swabia).

Source