Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 03/03/2026 2:03:03 PM PST by ebb tide
The chaplain of Vienna’s St. Stephen Cathedral has repeatedly appeared with a blonde woman at high society events while downplaying priestly celibacy as an “elastic concept.”
Chaplain Anton (called “Toni”) Faber has drawn the attention of the press in recent months for appearing at high society events like the famous Vienna Opera Ball with a blonde woman named Natalie Nemec accompanying him as his partner. Faber is one of the most famous priests in Austria and has been nicknamed “society Lion” for his frequent appearances at elite events.
n an interview with the German Süddeutsche Zeitung, Faber referred to priestly celibacy as an “elastic concept.”
The 63-year-old Catholic priest said that “this is all just an internal problem within Catholic circles. I think everyone has realized by now that we priests are normal people too.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung referred to Nemec as Faber’s “girlfriend,” causing widespread speculation of the two having an intimate relationship.
In an interview with Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, Faber was asked about his relationship with Nemec. He replied, “I have chosen a specific person to be my constant companion, and Natalie stands with me in front of the camera. I am very, very happy that our personal and private lives are not being published in the public eye, in headlines, or in articles.”
Asked if one should not expect to receive questions about the relationship if they appear together in public, he gave another vague answer. “Of course, you have to expect that, and we try to deal with it well, like every husband, every wife, every partnership, with whom do I present myself here and there, and I stand by that, but that’s how it should stay.”
“I don’t refer to any woman as my partner, but I am very happy to have Natalie by my side at official events. As a good friend, she always knows that she has my support and I have hers,” Faber stated.
Talking about his assertion that celibacy is an “elastic concept,” he said, “Marriage and celibacy are different ways of life that can never be achieved in their ideal form.”
“Many of these forms do not achieve the highest ideal, but one must then develop a personal form based on one’s own life story, one that one can stand by outwardly, before God, before one’s conscience, and before one’s specific partner."
Faber has taken many heterodox positions in the past, including support for female ordinations and blessings of same-sex couples going back to at least 2006.
According to kath.net, faithful Catholics have sent an official complaint to newly consecrated Archbishop of Vienna Josef Grünwidl, arguing that Faber’s lifestyle and public demands are no longer compatible with the image of a Catholic priest who is committed to church discipline.
Grünwidl, who succeeded Cardinal Christoph Schönborn as Archbishop of Vienna and was consecrated in January, has known Faber since their days at university and has publicly expressed similar heterodox positions. He supports sacramental ordinations of female deacons and the abolition of mandatory priestly celibacy.
READ: New archbishop of Vienna will be priest who expressed support for ‘women’s ordination’: report
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Ping
Rules for thee lol
What?
No pic of his better half?
🙏🏻
On the plus side, he seems to have a degree in Biology!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.