Posted on 03/20/2026 4:12:53 PM PDT by ebb tide
Archbishop Josef Grünwidl of Vienna, Austria, has suggested that Church teaching could be neglected in certain cases, e.g., women in “leadership” and divorced and civilly “remarried” couples, if it benefits the “salvation of souls.”
Grünwidl, the recently consecrated archbishop of Vienna, gave a homily during the Spring Plenary Assembly of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference on March 11 at the parish church in Pischelsdorf, Styria. In his sermon, he suggested that “church regulations and centuries-old traditions” may need to be changed to accommodate pastoral cases involving women seeking church leadership or adulterers who engage in sexual relationships with their new partner.
“Jesus also demonstrated what is meant by fulfilling the law and by a greater righteousness by repeatedly breaking rules and commandments in order to fulfill their true purpose,” Gründwidl said. “For example, he disregarded the Sabbath laws in order to heal the sick. He ate with sinners, which was forbidden and made him ritually unclean, because he wanted to change these people’s lives and gather the lost sheep.”
“It is undisputed that rules, commandments, and regulations are necessary in the life of the Church, but they must not become an end in themselves, nor do they serve merely to impose rules; rather, they serve the ‘salvation of souls,’ which means they are meant to help people encounter God and be led deeper into a life according to the Gospel,” he continued.
“I am thinking of divorced and remarried people, or of relationships that do not conform to the ideal of Catholic marriage law,” the archbishop stated. “Canon law contains rules and prohibitions for these people. But merely following the rules is not enough.”
“Rather, it is a matter of discussing the individual’s life and faith situation with them and finding a pastoral solution that offers help and healing. This has to do with greater justice.”
Grünwidl seemed to suggest that Catholics who are married in the Church and are in a new sexual relationship with a partner should not be denied Holy Communion in certain cases, as was suggested in Pope Francis’ heterodox document Amoris Laetitia.
However, contrary to Gründwidl’s examples of the Old Testament laws that Christ did not follow by the letter to show their true spirit, Jesus clearly stated that a valid marriage is permanent and cannot be divorced.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Christ said in response to the pharisees who asked Him whether a man could divorce his wife: “Haven’t you read … that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Jesus furthermore stated that Moses only permitted divorce “because of the hardness of hearts” of the Israelites.
“I am confident that our church will become more like Jesus and more faithful to the Gospel if we walk together in synodality, listen more closely to women’s voices, and involve them in decision-making processes,” Grünwidl stated.
“Of course, this will require changes to church regulations and centuries-old traditions,” he added.
“But the example of Jesus, who, when necessary, set aside Jewish commandments and religious traditions in order to fulfill God’s will, his treatment of women, and his firm conviction that ‘what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped by church law!’ give me hope,” he stated.
Contrary to Church doctrine and Tradition, which have always held that only men can be ordained to Holy Orders, Grünwidl has repeatedly expressed his support for “women’s ordination.”
READ: New Vienna archbishop’s consecration Mass features women in key roles, altered rituals
“I will conclude with a reference to my patron saint, Saint Joseph, of whom the Gospel says that he was righteous,” the Austrian archbishop said. “If he had merely been righteous according to the law and had simply fulfilled the law, his pregnant fiancée would have been stoned to death. Joseph was righteous, not because he obeyed the law, but because he treated his fiancée with justice.”
“When we as a Church listen to the demands of the Sermon on the Mount and look to the example of Jesus, new beginnings and change become possible,” he concluded.
Grünwidl’s reference to St. Joseph, which he appears to use to justify tolerating sinful behavior like adultery of civilly “remarried” persons, is misleading. While it is true that Joseph planned to quietly leave the Virgin Mary after learning of her pregnancy (cf. Matthew 19), an angel appeared to him, telling him that Mary had conceived the child by the Holy Spirit and that he should stay with her and trust God’s plan. St. Joseph obeyed and trusted God despite superficial appearances and was therefore called “righteous.” Most importantly, the Blessed Mother never committed any sin, and the situation is therefore not analogous to cases where a person is knowingly in an objectively sinful state, e.g., a validly married person living in a new sexual union after a civil divorce.
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The new motto of Francis's "synodal church" should be, "the Ten Commandments were made to be broken!"
Ping
Amoris’ message: let’s accompany sinners, but never make them feel bad. That’s the worst thing ever!
Gotta be nice!
We’re in trouble, folks. Nothing left to do but pray and keep the true faith.
How wonderful that we are so much more intelligent, educated, and enlightened than everyone who came before us, up to and including the Church fathers, the apostles, and even Jesus himself.
We are truly a great generation.
The Church is truly in crisis!
The Bishop in Brazil that is removing kneelers from his parishes.
The Covington Bishop that removed faculties from 2 Latin Mass priests bec they wouldn’t co-celebrate Mass n said V2 is irrelevant to those who attend TLM.
Pope Francis allowing Paccamamma idolatry in St Peter’s Square
The ‘Blessing’ of gay marriages.
When Dioceses report half of their parishioners don’t believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
This spreads confusion among the laity.
I pray the Holy Spirit opens Pope Leo’s eyes!
Prayers for Holy Mother Church.
............................”This spreads confusion among the laity.
..........................I pray the Holy Spirit opens Pope Leo’s eyes!”
One would hope so. How about good traditional Catholics here in the US writing to the Pope? Would that help?
Is the archbishop going to write down his heretical views and nail them to his own cathedral?
Poor Catholics get divorced.
Rich Catholics get annulments.
Touche’
The Catholic Church has been in crisis for over 7 decades....Why anyone would still support them with tithe is beyond my comprehension. Some evil demonic people within the vatican and has been for quite a while.
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