Munich priest defends the indefensible Vienna Cathedral Parish Priest

Munich priest Rainer Maria Schießler, like Vienna Cathedral priest Toni Faber, is constantly in the public eye. This also presents challenges. An interview.

Father Schießler blessed their wedding ring

Vienna Cathedral priest Toni Faber is scheduled to retire next year at the age of 65. This decision by the Archbishop of Vienna is causing quite a stir. Munich priest Rainer Maria Schießler knows his Austrian counterpart and has a clear opinion and some advice for him on the situation.

Question: Father Schießler, your fellow priest in Vienna is to be retired. What do you think of that?

Schießler: Yes, I know Father Faber well. I've visited him in Vienna several times. He always gave us a very insightful tour of the cathedral. He showed us the cathedral like no one else could. He himself is like a building block of this cathedral, so deeply rooted is he in his parish. Nothing better could happen to the Church than a cathedral priest like him. He likes people, and people like him. When we walked through St. Stephen's Cathedral that time, I asked him if it didn't bother him that people were constantly stopping him. He said, "They're all my people." He handled celebrity weddings just as well as state funerals. And he took the Church to places where you wouldn't normally expect to find it. I like being able to see and experience a priest. That's the huge difference between him and me: I can't be as gallant as he is. He went to the Vienna Opera Ball; I only go to Oktoberfest. And he always wore his clerical collar and tailored suits. Because of him, many people joined the Church. You don't just find a priest like that. You have to have the right qualities. All I can say is: Be glad you have someone like him. Having a pastor like that is a gift.

Question: Now, the Vienna Cathedral priest is supposed to retire next year because there are apparently differing opinions on how he understands celibacy…

Schießler: His current situation affects me. He has served in his office for 30 years, just like me, and always with great dedication, creativity, and courage. Now, suddenly, the rumor mill is churning, and people are talking about these things as if they had never been apparent before. I would have preferred that the whole issue had been handled more discreetly. It's all become too public for me now. I don't know how he's coping with it. Can he still celebrate Mass without someone bringing it up? The Cathedral priest, and no one else, deserves that. It doesn't do justice to celibacy.

Question: But he's said to have had a companion at the Vienna Opera Ball and on other occasions…

Schießler: I'm just wondering, why shouldn't the Vienna Cathedral priest be allowed to attend the Opera Ball with a companion? Why should he go there alone? You need a dance partner if you want to dance. How could that possibly bother anyone? He likes to refer to the Opera Ball as his parish carnival, and like any other priest, he simply enjoys dancing at his parish ball. Toni Faber is a native Viennese; the Opera Ball is simply part of his culture. I, on the other hand, lead a much simpler life than the cathedral priest. And I can't dance; it's just not me. My only advice to Toni Faber would be: Wear a proper Opera Ball tailcoat, not a clerical shirt, when you go. You don't have to dress up as a priest!

Question: A priest vows celibacy, meaning he will live without a partner…

Schießler: I live celibately, I'm not married and I don't have children, but I'm not alone. I also have someone, a woman, who accompanies me as a priest. That makes a big difference! I stand by my way of life. None of us were drunk when we promised to live celibately at our ordination. Moreover, I could never have walked the path of celibacy alone; I probably would never have become the priest I've been privileged to be for 40 years now. I can only manage it in community. After graduating from high school, I went to a Capuchin monastery to find out if this communal life was right for me. I learned there that you can be terribly alone in a monastery with others. You don't simply choose a partner, but it develops because you like each other and because, ultimately, it's a great gift. For me, at least, it gives tremendous strength and enormous support in my work and in my celibate life.

Question: Nevertheless, a priest's way of life is in the public eye…

Schießler: Celibacy is the most intimate thing there is. I have vowed celibacy. That was my decision. I don't want to let anyone take that away from me, and no one should or has to interfere. Therefore, I ask that this be treated as a private matter for the parish priest of Vienna Cathedral as well. As a priest, I have just as much right to my private life. I wouldn't ask a married couple, not even in the confessional, how they live their married life.

Question: How difficult is it to live celibacy conscientiously?

Schießler: I have never experienced it as inhumane. It was my decision alone, a challenge I freely accepted. Yes, celibacy carries risks. It can come back to haunt me how I handle it. But I don't see the parish priest of Vienna Cathedral as downcast; he simply moves very much in the public eye. He has to work that out with himself and with his companions; you have to be able to manage that. The bishop is his superior and his father in one. My own father was always my biggest critic, but not in public. So everything here should be discussed exclusively in private. We are neither judge nor plaintiff. But as a priest, I want to live in such a way that people can trust me, and that's the only thing that matters here. That this is now being discussed in public is something none of those involved deserve—neither Father Toni Faber nor Archbishop Grünwidl.

Question: Have you received any inquiries from your archbishop because you spoke publicly about your partner?

Schießler: No, there was never anything to hide or explain.

Question: Can you understand the Archbishop of Vienna and his potential criticism of the cathedral priest's behavior?

Schießler: I don't know the background. Perhaps it's simply a matter of misunderstanding. In any case, my conclusion is that the whole issue is being blown out of proportion. Father Faber is a powerful cathedral priest. Perhaps those in Vienna should simply consider whether and how they could take him out of the public eye a little.

Question: What if your bishop were to ask you to do that?

Schießler: Well, I've never sought the limelight of my own accord. People, the media, approach me. For me, the only important thing has always been whether it's an opportunity to present the Church and our faith positively to the people.

Question: But nothing should be covered up or concealed here, because a priest's lifestyle is inevitably in the public eye. What advice would you give the cathedral priest in Vienna?

Schießler: Like every priest, Toni Faber promised obedience to the bishop and his successors at his ordination. If someone wants to appoint a different cathedral priest, that's perfectly fine. A position in the Church isn't hereditary! And no matter how successful someone has been, no one owns a position exclusively. The Church bestows it and can revoke it. If the bishop wants a change, he doesn't need to explain it further. Of course, it's also important to consider together where such a proven cathedral priest as Toni Faber can continue to serve effectively and successfully as a pastor. He is a priest for life and is needed just like all of us. He can continue to be there for the celebrities and well-known figures of society and still care for everyone, as he has done so far.

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