Over 300 Austrian Priests Join "Call to Disobedience"

Source

Looks like I got out of Austria just in time -- lightning might be striking there soon...

From the article:

The Call to Disobedience document cites "the Roman refusal of a long-overdue Church reform and the inaction of bishops." Priests who support the document pledge:

* to pray for Church reform at every liturgy, since "in the presence of God there is freedom of speech"

COMMENT: If your speech offends God, He will not remain present.

* not to deny the Holy Eucharist to "believers of good will," including non-Catholic Christians and those who have remarried outside the Church

COMMENT: How can someone be a believer of good will when he denies the Catholic Faith and laws?

* to avoid offering Mass more than once on Sundays and holy days and to avoid making use of visiting priests--instead holding a "self-designed" Liturgy of the Word

COMMENT: Absent a priest, there is no Mass. There is no substitute. When there is a shortage of priests, those that remain must offer Mass more than once a day.

* to describe such a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion as a "priestless Eucharistic celebration"; "thus we fulfill the Sunday obligation in a time of priest shortage"

COMMENT: We do not fulfill the Sunday obligation with a cheap substitute. If one cannot legitimately make it to a real Mass -- e.g. great distance, illness -- then he is excused from the obligation.

* to "ignore" canonical norms that restrict the preaching of the homily to clergy

COMMENT: Let's "ignore" homilies preached by anyone except clergy.

* to oppose parish mergers, insisting instead that each parish have its own individual leader, "whether man or woman"

COMMENT: Parish mergers are caused by a shortage of priests. The proper remedy for this is to nurture priestly vocations, not promote shabby substitutes.

* to "use every opportunity to speak out openly in favor of the admission of the married and of women to the priesthood"

COMMENT: You and the rest of the Protestants. Choose now who you will serve; as for me and my household, we serve the Lord.

The Next Heritage Tour

Today I hop on a series of flights that will land me in Vienna, Austria, good Lord willing. This will be the start of my next pilgrimage, which will wind its way through the Austrian countryside, through a bit of Germany, and end in Switzerland.

Vienna
Vienna (German: Wien) is the capital of Austria. The former capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Vienna is a cultural center for music and the arts, science, and fine cuisine. The city is 50% Catholic, and is home to numerous beautiful churches; my stops will include St. Stephen's Cathedral (which houses the miraculous icon of Maria Potsch and the body of St. Valentine) and the Church of St. Mary where the relics are kept of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, patron of Vienna.

Danube Excursion
Overlooking the Danube is the baroque basilica of Maria Teferl, which is my next stop. After that I'll visit the renowned Benedictine Abbey of Melk, with its famous library and scriptorium; the whole is embellished with a vast array of marble sculptures and brilliantly colored frescoes.

Salzburg
Salzburg is next, with a stop in Mariazell, who 800 year old shrine is the chief Marian pilgrimage site in Austria. Then a visit to the church of Maria Plain and other sacred sites.

Altotting
I'll hop across the German border for a second visit to Altotting, returning to Salzburg in the evening.

Innsbruck
Innsbruck is next, for some sight-seeing and souvenir gathering.

St. Gallen
I cross the Swiss border this time, arriving at the Benedictine abbey of St. Gallen and its famous library.

Einsiedeln
The Benedictine monastery of Our Lady of the Hermits in Einsideln is next.

Fribourg
A tour of the Gothic cathedral of Fribourg is my next destination; from there I'll go to the church of St. Michael, which houses the remains of the Jesuit St. Peter Canisius. Afterward, the Abbey of St. Maurice, where the Theban Legion was martyred.

Econe
A personal high point of the trip, Econe is a small town where Abp. Marcel Lefebvre formed the first seminary of the SSPX and so commenced Operation Survival. His tombs is in the seminary crypt, where I will go to pay my respects and offer my petitions. The next day I will attend the ordinations of several new traditional priests.

Geneva
I'll get only a peek of Geneva: it's where the will be that will carry me back to the States.