[Summary: Pope Francis has excommunicated the Austrian president of the Catholic reform movement called We Are Church. A report in Tiroler Tageszeitung has confirmed that Martha Heizer and her husband can no longer participate in the sacraments. Excommunication is the most severe penalty the church can impose. The retired religious educator and her husband in their private home regularly celebrated with other believers but without ordained priests.]
THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION IS FROM GERMAN TO ENGLISH USING A TRANSLATION DEVISE, SO IT MIGHT NOT BE TOO GOOD FROM THE NEWS PAPER DIE WELT :
Pope Francis, the Austrian President of the Catholic reform movement "We are the Church" excommunicated. A report in the "Tiroler Tageszeitung" Catholic Church circles have confirmed. Accordingly, the well-known Kirchenreformerin Martha heater as well as her husband will no longer participate in the sacraments. Excommunication is the most severe punishment, the Church can impose.
The retired Religionspadagogin heater (67) and her husband had regularly in your home in Absam, Austria (Tyrol) celebrated measure, together with other believers, but without ordained priests. This is not allowed according to Catholic doctrine.
As the practice has been publicly three years ago, he headed the Bishop of Innsbruck, Manfred Scheuer, an investigation procedure, which has now ended with the excommunication. The procedure recognizes the couple heater not and has refused to accept the final Exkommunikationsurkunde.
No one is happy with the punishment
was the decision of the Vatican has long been expected, was last but abducted several times. The Innsbruck Bishop Scheuer should not be happy with the punishment, just as little as the Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, a personal friend of Martha heaters.
Also contradicts the public image of the excommunication dialogfreudigen, merciful Pope Francis. But in the end, the canon law seems to be the decisive factor. Laiengottesdienste touch a principle of the Catholic Church, the distinction between laity and clergy.
The "We are the Church" -Identity heater power for various demands for reform or abolition of the Verhutungsverbotes such as women's ordination. It does not apply as a radical. You became famous in 1995 as a co-initiator of the Kirchenvolks-Begehrens Austria, which called for a renewal of the Church and the Catholic reform movement of the Laity has shaped the world.