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The summer plenary assembly of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference (ÖBK) ended this morning with a Mass celebrated at the National Marian Shrine of Mariazell. The main item on the agenda was the global synodal process initiated by Pope Francis. In their final press release, the Bishops spoke of a “positive cultural change in the Church”, welcomed with gratitude and commitment in Austria. The approach of the Bishops gathered at Mariazell was not a list of demands, but “a summary of the discussions on the report of the World Synod that have taken place in qualified forums and committees in Austria over the past few months”. 14 thematic areas were identified as urgent. The place of women in the Church, the missionary orientation of the Church, and greater participation in the Church were flagged as priorities. The method of the “Synodal dialogue in the Holy Spirit”, which is increasingly practised, has proved particularly effective: “It is a culture of open talk and mutual listening and of what God wants to tell us today”. A second area has catalysed the work of the Austrian prelates: an assessment of the results of the European elections. For the Bishops, the “steep decline in turnout” is “worrying and should be a wake-up call to all people with political responsibilities in the country”. “The low turnout can be an expression of protest, but also of distrust or dissatisfaction with politics. Serious democrats cannot accept that. All political forces must first of all be concerned with strengthening trust in the democratic order”.
Fonte: Agensir
