helmutschuller

An Austrian priest who is urging the church to adopt practices ranging from greater lay involvement in decision-making to opening the priesthood to married men and women said the effort is aimed at upholding the decisions of the Second Vatican Council. Father Helmut Schüller, pastor of a parish in the Archdiocese of Vienna, said during an appearance in Washington on July 22 that the church hierarchy should begin conversations that will build a “new structure” allowing for people to share their gifts with the church better. “We think it’s a question of respect for the dignity of the baptized, the church members, the church citizens as we call them. But also a question of bringing in the gifts of these laypeople to the decision making of the church and to the daily life of the church,” he said at the National Press Club. Father Schüller was in the middle of a three-week, 15-city tour in the United States to discuss the Austrian Priests’ Initiative.

This article appears in August 12-19 2013.