Grünwidl calls for freedom: Cooling for priests finally rethink!

Grünwidl calls for freedom: Cooling for priests finally rethink!

Vienna, Österreich - Josef Grünwidl, the Viennese diocesan administrator, has decided against the introduction of a compulsory allotment for Catholic priests. According to vienna.at he advocates that priest should have the free choice between a celibate life or a marriage to family. In his function as an interim successor to Archbishop Christoph Schönborn, Grünwidl was appointed apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Vienna in January.

Although he is not considered a candidate for the archbishop position, Grünwidl calls for more transparency in the appointment process and hopes to receive a decision on the successor by summer. He sees the decades of discussions about celibacy and the role of women in the church as urgent and considers a constant diaconate to be conceivable for women, but not as a preliminary stage for ordination.

The challenge of celibacy

The debate about celibacy is not new and is initiated by several high clergymen. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, has also spoken out for a relaxation of celibacy. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung could. This would not be in the best interest of the church.

Marx suggests that cable offices within the church be awarded in time and sees celibacy as precarious because it can promote loneliness. The priestly form of life is discussed in the reform debate of the "Synodal Way". Marx is open to married priests and argues that it would be an advantage for some clergymen to have a wife.

The historical legacy of the celibacy

celibacy has a complex story that goes back to the beginning of the church. Historically speaking, priests lived in detail both in marriages and as unmarried, such as

Some historians argue that celibacy contributes to the lack of priests and that a closer examination, especially in the context of the Amazon Synod, is urgently required. These questions present the Catholic Church with great challenges, especially in view of the growing need for qualified priests.