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.
