Austria: During the ad limina visit, there is a lack of priests
The ongoing shortage of Austrian priests in Austria is one of the topics that the Austrian bishops would like to discuss with Pope Francis during the upcoming ad limina visit (December 12-17) in the Vatican. Bishop Benno Elbs reported this in an interview with the Vorarlberg “Kirchenblatt”.
The fact that only a few people decide to become priests again is “of course a major concern for all bishops”.
Elbs literally: “The change in the admission conditions must also have other reasons in addition to mere necessity, such as human dignity and, of course, theological arguments. It’s also a question of vibrant communities. Wherever Christians want to live the faith, there WILL always be people who make themselves available for special ministries.”
Austria’s bishops in Rome in December
The members of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference will make their ad limina visit to Rome today, December 12-17. In this context they will meet Pope Francis and representatives of the Vatican Curia authorities and discuss the situation of the Church in Austria. The last ad limina visit by the Austrian bishops was in January 2014. The dates originally planned for February and then December 2021 have to be postponed due to the corona situation.
(cap – sst)