“Grünwidl said he hoped the Church would remain “open to changes, including changes to Church commandments and laws”, if such developments helped to lead people more deeply into a life oriented towards God.”
Archbishop of Vienna suggests Church should remain open to changes in commandments and laws
The Archbishop of Vienna has suggested that the Catholic Church must be willing to consider changes not only to its pastoral practice but even to its commandments and laws.
Speaking during a Mass held as part of the Austrian bishops’ conference spring plenary assembly, Archbishop Josef Grünwidl argued that ecclesiastical rules must ultimately serve the salvation of souls rather than becoming rigid ends in themselves.
The homily, delivered on March 11 at the parish church of Pischelsdorf during the bishops’ four day meeting in eastern Styria, was the most prominent intervention from the archbishop since his appointment to Vienna last year.
Archbishop Grünwidl said that the Church’s need for commandments and regulations was “undisputed”, but warned that they should not exist merely to regulate behaviour. Instead, he said, they should assist believers to encounter God and deepen their lives according to the Gospel.
“They should help people encounter God and be led more deeply into a …