An Austrian bishop on intercommunion, celibacy

I admit these aren’t the first topics on my mind on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. But Bishop Manfred Scheuer Innsbruck spoke about the first, intercommunion in tradition-uniting (aka “mixed”) marriages yesterday, and the second, an opening up of mandatory celibacy, today.   – awr

4.22.11 (Kipa.) “I think that it is a great burden when, e.g. there is not the common basis of the Eucharist, the Last Supper, the worship service: this truly can be a difficult dilemma for marriages. Our thoughts thus run in the direction that, with certain conditions, if non-Catholic partners can say Yes to the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist, they can also receive Communion.”

Manfred Scheuer, Bishop of the Diocese of Innsbruck in Austria, as reported April 21 on Vatican Radio.

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“Regarding celibacy I can only say what I always have said: I can imagine an opening up, but I would also look for greater esteem for the celibate manner of life. Proven virtue in the realms of marriage and employment would have to be presuppositions for the ordination of viri probati. With regard to celibacy: there are many in our society who involuntarily are not in a relationship. In celibacy there is potential for solidarity with individuals who are alone.”

Bishop Manfred Scheuer in an interview on Good Friday in the Tiroler Tageszeitung.

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John's Abbey. He teaches liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant at St. John's University School of Theology-Seminary. He is widely published and frequently presents across the country on liturgy and music. He is the author of Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, and of Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. He does priestly ministry at the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters in St. Joseph.

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Comments

11 responses to “An Austrian bishop on intercommunion, celibacy”

  1. Fr. Allan J. McDonald

    I believe every bishop has the authority to allow a baptized Christian not in full communion with the Catholic Church to receive Holy Communion under special circumstances. I know that my bishop would not allow it for a wedding Mass, but he has allowed it in other situations of necessity and for prolonged period of time in the case of an Episcopal nun. Of course the criteria I believe is that the “separated” Christian cannot get to his/her own Church to receive Holy Communion, there is a real, legitimate need or desire, this Christian believes what we believe about the Real Presence (although I don’t think the complete grasp of the metaphysical aspect of transubstantiation is necessary, although I would try to explain it to the non-Catholic) and finally the bishop approves it.
    The Church already allows married men to become priests when they come to us from the Anglican/Episcopal communions and also the Lutheran communion. There could be others too. This permission could certainly be expanded to include “veri probati”.

    Reply
    1. Dunstan Harding

      I’ve known a number of Jesuits over the years who’ve been giving Holy Communon to Anglicans and Lutherans for decades. Why is this subject all of a sudden a big deal?

      Reply
  2. Chris Grady

    Fr. Allan J. McDonald :
    “veri probati”

    Only such a staunch and outspoken defender of Latin in the liturgy (and regular celebrant of the Tridentine rite) as Allan McDonald could do that!

    Reply
    1. Jeremy Stevens

      Looks like Fr McDonald joining soon surely the staff of Vox Clara will be!*

      This has been approved by THOUSANDS of scholarly experts in the English language!

      Reply
    2. F C Bauerschmidt

      He also forgot to put the period inside the quotation mark, as is standard in American English.

      Clerical tosser.

      Reply
      1. Gerard Flynn

        When a celebrant recites the text of the Tridentine usage, he doesn’t need to understand the black for validity. Neither does he have to sound the words, so long as he forms the shape of the sounds with his mouth.

      2. Fr. Allan J. McDonald

        Well there is no excuse for the misplaced period, but it could have been my intention to “Latinize” the English spelling of “very” into “veri” as a form of humor and irony, which evidently was missed by those who commented on it. “Very proven!” (I think I placed the quotation mark on correct side of the exclamation point!) Tisk, tisk. 🙂

      3. Gerard Flynn

        “Well there is no excuse for the misplaced period, but it could have been my intention to “Latinize” the English spelling of “very” into “veri” as a form of humor and irony, which evidently was missed by those who commented on it.” A.J.MacD.

        What is your excuse for ‘mea maximum culpa’ of a few posts back? And your having to rely on the translation of others to recognise a Latin plural participle? Humour also?

        Doesn’t seem to fit with an interest in the Tridentine usage.

      4. Fr. Allan J. McDonald

        Gerard, you’re spending to much time keeping us with my comments; and much too much time worrying about the EF Mass in my parish. But if you like, one of our five Masses on Easter Sunday is an EF High Mass at 1:00 PM. If you get on a plane now, you’ll make it in time and perhaps you’ll have a conversion experience with my Latin mistakes and all. A blessed Easter.

  3. Michael Barnett

    Gerard Flynn :

    Neither does he have to sound the words, so long as he forms the shape of the sounds with his mouth.

    Gerard,

    I’ve heard that such movement of the lips withou words is the minimum requirement for praying the EF Divine Office, but I’ve never heard it said that this is allowed for Mass. If you happen to know of a rubric that supports it please let me know where it is. Your not the first person whom I heard make this claim.

    Reply
  4. Chris Grady

    Fr. Allan J. McDonald :
    Gerard, you’re spending to much time keeping us with . . . .

    Gerard, you’ve lived to be told (in perfect Vox Clara near-English, by the man who thinks the height of Latin-to-English liturgical translation was that of the Maryknoll Missal) you’re misspending your time, by one of the internet’s most frequent priest blog commenters. Well, while he’s trawling the blogs, I guess he’s leaving his parishioners alone. You should feel really special this Easter.

    Reply

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