Austria: talks with Benedict XVI “A very cordial, very brotherly conversation; we were not ‘convened’ to Rome, but invited to discuss the situation of the Church in Austria and more particularly in the diocese of Linz”. That’s how Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, in an interview on the German-language programme of Vatican Radio, summed up the two days of meetings (15 and 16 June) held in the Vatican with Benedict XVI and leading exponents of the Roman Curia. The Archbishop of Vienna was accompanied at the talks by the Bishop of Linz, the Vice-President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference and the Metropolitan of Salzburg. The meeting was held four months after the crisis caused by the nomination of Mgr. Wagner as auxiliary bishop of Linz, which was ended after his resignation following the heated controversies his appointment had given rise to. The issues touched on in the talks, reported Cardinal Schönborn, included the diocesan seminary, the theological faculty, the status of the laity, and questions relating to the Magisterium and ecclesiastical discipline. The cardinal also said he had delivered to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Memorandum of the so-called “Initiative of the Laity”, though he did not share some of its conclusions, accompanying it with a letter of his own. “I asked him [Cardinal Hummes]”, explained Schönborn, “to read the document with attention – even if I personally don’t agree with some conclusions of this initiative, something I have openly expressed – because I think it’s important that the position of part of our laity relating to some concerns of the Church be known in Rome”. The Pope for his part forcefully reaffirmed the importance of the celibacy of priests, which, continued the Archbishop of Vienna, is “an issue discussed with great fervour in Austria and in particular in Northern Austria”. The Pope said: the question basically is this: do we believe that it is possible, that it is reasonable to base our own life entirely on this one foundation that is God?”. “The Holy Father – Schönborn continued – also spoke to us about the Year of the Priest (which is due to open today, 19 June) and showed us that the key point is precisely this: the example of the Holy Curate of Ars [St. John Viannay], patron of parish priests, and also patron of priests, as he will be proclaimed this year”. According to the Pope, the “irradiating and persuasive strength” of the life “of the parish priest of Ars, totally dedicated to God, in prayer and in the Eucharist” was “for so many men an incredible gift … So, this – concluded the Archbishop of Vienna – is the example we need to follow”.France: the Church and the debate on bioethicsA process of consultation, the “general estates on bioethics”, was launched by the Elysée in February in view of the planned reform of the law that regulates this field, scheduled to take place between the end of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010 (see further SIR Europe no.17/2009). The consultation will end in Paris on 23 June in the presence of the President of the Republic Nicolas Sarkozy. It follows the three great public forums held at Marseilles, Rennes and Strasbourg on 9, 11 and 16 June. During this consultation over the last few months, the Church of France has followed public reflection with a special work group on bioethics headed by the Archbishop of Rennes, Mgr. Pierre d’Ornellas. The work group has produced a book on “Bioethics, proposal for a dialogue” covering the various issues that are being debated with a view to a reform of the law, a DVD “Life in discussion. Bioethics with reference to the Gospel” (3,000 copies), and the blog www.bioethique.catholique.fr which has proposed each week a reflection written by an expert, on which everyone has a chance to intervene. Over fifty meetings have been promoted in the various dioceses, with the intervention of Father Thierry Magnin, vicar general of Saint-Etienne and author of the DVD, which was presented during the meetings. According to Fr. Magnin, “a much diversified public took part in the meetings: Catholics, healthcare professionals, members of other religious confessions, and atheists”. “In the documentary – he explains – we present a Christian view of the meaning of man in order to share it with everyone; many in the end expressed their agreement with it without necessarily being Christians”. “Some non-Christian scientists – continues Fr. Magnin – have recognized the goodness” of the DVD which “has permitted them to gain a better understanding of the message of the Catholic Church on these problems”. Three issues are treated in it – among the most controversial tacked by the “general estates”: research on embryos and stem cells, medically assisted conception and prenatal diagnosis and preimplant. Many young people also took part in the meetings; they especially posed questions on sexuality: “with the young – explains Fr. Magnin – our main focus is the relation within the couple and procreation as a consequence of love, which strengthens and perpetuates the relationship. Adults, by contrast, pose more questions about the dignity of the human person and the extension of this concept to the embryo”. “In everyone – he concludes – these meetings aroused a desire to examine the issues in greater depth”.
