“Nobody is forcing us to celebrate the church crisis in a pathological way”
“No new spiritual life is to be expected” from church structural reforms alone. That’s what the Bishop of Innsbruck, Hermann Glettler, says in an exclusive interview with the “Tagespost”. “In many places there are disappointments in this regard.” Structural reforms would only create framework conditions, “but could not arouse any belief”. He himself wants to stick to the structure of 70 pastoral care rooms in Tyrol, as decided 15 years ago.
In an interview with the “Tagespost”, Bishop Glettler promotes a more creative way of passing on the faith: “Nobody is forcing us to celebrate the current church crisis in an unhealthy way. Perhaps we should be more creative with the gift of faith, possibly also more entrepreneurial – try more, take more risks.” The personal testimony of people is crucial. The Bishop of Innsbruck is convinced: “Through the current crisis we can come to a new, deeper spirituality.”
Part of a universal companionship
Bishop Glettler does not dwell on the question of what went wrong or what was missed in the past. He believes, however, that “in the heyday of the national church, too little attention was paid to the personal acquisition of faith”. Being a Christian requires a conscious decision for Christ: “Only then does a serious relationship begin.”
For the Tyrolean bishop from Graz, Catholic identity has less to do with demarcation than with devotion to harmful substances. A “generous existence in the concrete living environment and praying in solidarity” touches people’s hearts. Christians must see themselves as part of a universal community: “God cares about the whole human family!” Christ became for all people and gave his life for all. That is why the church is not an association among other associations. “We have to live the ‘for everyone’, even where the Catholic Church is a small minority: opening up spaces for everyone, probably very practical.” DT/sba
Read the full interview with the Tyrolean Bishop Hermann Glettler in the next issue of the “Tagespost”.