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For those who’ve been following Fr. Sibley’s thread about a liturgical scandal in Austria, where, among other things, a deacon appeared to be simulating Mass: I’m posting my translation of a report from a major Catholic web site there.

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St Francis Parish in Wels takes controversial photos off the net
New scandal photos of “ecumenical celebration”
— a parish without bells, a cross, or confession
— women’s coordinator with neopagan rituals
— Nitsch’s picture in the Tabernacle?
Linz (www.kath.net) Since Kath.net’s report about the liturgical deviations of St. Francis parish in Wels there has been, as before, no sound from the diocese. As a way out, the parish itself has now closed the guest book, changed the content of the page, and taken the photos off the net.
Where originally the “Three Kings’ Mass” stood, first appeared “Three Kings’ Feast” for a day. In an “explanation” the webmaster was coaxed into a statement. For several days, it read as follows: “After the term ‘Three Kings’ Mass’ was originally used by the homepage editor, and this does not correspond to the liturgical facts, and has been criticized, we have modified the text correspondingly.” Since then this text has also been removed from the net.
The “guest book” was also closed a few hours after the exposure of the liturgical scandal. Finally, since Monday all the liturgical photos have been inaccessible. In the meantime, further controversial pictures of ecumenical events with Deacon Schrittweiser and the Protestant pastor Ingrid Bachler have popped up, in which are to be seen some actions that are, at least, ambiguous.
In one of the photos (see the photo with this report) both stand together at the Protestant altar, at which the Deacon is raising the chalice. Another picture shows wine and bread being divided by the Protestant pastor as in the Catholic Church, in a manner simulating the Mass.
The case of the Wels parish is being intensively discussed by the Linz diocese, as kath.net was able to discover from diocesan circles. So far there has been neither a denial of the charge of simulating Mass or any other statement on the liturgical deviations. Several Austrian bishops, who have already been able to see the photos, showed themselves to be horrified about the events.
Showplace of the diocese
St. Francis parish qualifies as the pride and joy of the Linz diocese. In an Austrian Broadcasting report the church was described as “suitable as a residence” and not necessarily recognizable as a “house of God”. One would look in vain for images or statues of saints, in place of a cross a Y-shaped olive tree has been installed, and instead of bells there are tubular chimes. For the last item, a dispensation had to be obtained from the diocese. The project cost 4.3 million Euro, of which the parish had to raise 1 million.
The characteristics of the form are reflected also in the contents. For example, the parish hardly offered confession. In the parish letter of April 2004 it says that the First Communion children are having an “All Better Celebration” in which they write their sins onto a slip of paper and then have it burned. The argument for this was that children should be able to live and experience their faith without anxiety.
Neopagan rituals by the former women’s coordinator
Parish member Irmgard Lehner, the former women’s coordinator of the Linz diocese, announced several neopagan rituals for 2005. In February there would be a “light ritual about Mary”, in May a “fire ritual about Mary the Queen of May”, on August 4, an “earth ritual about the Assumption of Mary” and on November 3, a “water ritual about All Saints/All Souls”. In the accompanying text, it says: “In the first year the women’s liturgies are oriented about the lunar feasts; many feasts of Mary are traditionally set at these times.”
Picture of performance artist Nitsch in the Tabernacle?
There are long unconfirmed rumors that a picture of the controversial performance artist Hermann Nitsch is to be found in the tabernacle of the parish. KATH.NET confronted the parish with that accusation last Friday, but has so far received no answer, not even a denial. That Hermann Nitsch would be altogether in favor of this is shown by last year’s scandal about the geriatric hospital in Rosenheim in Bavaria, where the performance artist designed the hospital’s chapel. The result was a revolt by the pastor and the patients, as Bavaria’s Channel Two reported. Nitsch makes no secret that for him, Christianity has been outlived, and needs a mythic-orgiastic revitalization by means of his “Orgy Mystery Theater”.
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