Bp Huonder to assist SSPX to integrate with conciliar church
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Permalink Reply by Kate Jackson on
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Retired Swiss bishop to live in SSPX home
Bishop Huonder sparked controversy with his views on homosexuality
Bishop Vitus Huonder will live in retirement at a house belonging to the Society of St. Pius X. (Photo by Jean Claude Laforest/CIRIC)
It is an unusual choice, to say the least. Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder, the bishop of Chur for the last 12 years, has announced that he will live in retirement at a hostel for boys belonging to the Sancta Maria Institute at Wangs in Sankt Gallen canton.
The hostel belongs to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), he explained in a May 20 letter to the faithful of the diocese.
"Like Pope Francis, I would like to offer my contribution to church unity, not to marginalize but to discern, accompany and assist [the SSPX] to integrate," he said.
The same day, the Holy See Press Office indicated that Pope Francis had accepted Bishop Huonder's resignation two years after the canonical retirement age of 75.
The pope also appointed Swiss Bishop Peter Bürcher, 73, the former bishop of Reykjavik in Iceland, as his replacement.
A joint statement by Bishop Huonder and SSPX superior general, Father Davide Pagliarani, indicated that the decision was the outcome of "a long-expressed desire."
"The single and only goal of this process," the statement continued, "is to consecrate himself to prayer and silence, to exclusively celebrate the traditional Mass and to work for rradition, the only path of renewal for the Church."
The SSPX "appreciates Bishop Huonder's courageous decision and is pleased to be able to offer him the spiritual and priestly framework that he desires so much," the statement said. "May this example be followed in order that 'all things are restored in Christ'."
A divided diocese
Since his appointment as bishop in 2007, Bishop Huonder's views on several issues, particularly relating to morality, have aroused opposition from faithful belonging to the Es Reicht! (That's enough now!) group, who had called for the pope to change the leadership of the diocese.
The group also expressed its desire for the appointment of an apostolic administrator in the diocese, in which the bishop is not directly designated by the pope but elected by the chapter of canons of the cathedral from a terna (list of three) proposed by the Vatican.
The appointment of an apostolic administrator prior to this election could, in the group's view, assist in calming matters to proceed to a vote in a more peaceful climate.
In a letter to the faithful, Bishop Bürcher indicated that he had on several occasions expressed his concerns about the mission as apostolic administrator of the Chur Diocese but he added that he was quite ready to listen in order to better serve.
Controversial views
In a 2015 lecture on Christian marriage at a Forum of German Catholics, Bishop Huonder's statements on homosexuals sparked controversy when he cited the passage Leviticus 20,13: "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
He added that this verse should suffice "to provide the correct direction to the issue of homosexuality from the faith point of view."
Major Swiss LGBT group Pink Cross reacted immediately, characterizing Bishop Huonder as an "agitator" and "delinquent" and calling for a public apology. Three other groups also lodged complaints, which were dismissed in the following months.
In January, Bishop Huonder's spokesman confirmed to the Swiss site cath.ch that, in an agreement with Pope Francis and at the request of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he would act as a link between the SSPX and Rome.
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According to an intention that he stated long ago, Bishop Huonder is retiring to a house of the Society of Saint Pius X. The one sole purpose of this step is to dedicate himself to prayer and silence, to celebrate the traditional Mass exclusively, and to work for Tradition, the only way of renewing the Church.
Bishop Vitus Huonder will live in retirement at a house belonging to the Society of St. Pius X. (Photo by Jean Claude Laforest/CIRIC)
It is an unusual choice, to say the least. Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder, the bishop of Chur for the last 12 years, has announced that he will live in retirement at a hostel for boys belonging to the Sancta Maria Institute at Wangs in Sankt Gallen canton.
The hostel belongs to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), he explained in a May 20 letter to the faithful of the diocese.
"Like Pope Francis, I would like to offer my contribution to church unity, not to marginalize but to discern, accompany and assist [the SSPX] to integrate," he said.
The same day, the Holy See Press Office indicated that Pope Francis had accepted Bishop Huonder's resignation two years after the canonical retirement age of 75.
Retired Swiss bishop to live in SSPX home- La Croix International
https://international.la-croix.com/news/retired-swiss-bishop-to-liv...Retirement home is the flat above the boarding school boys dormitories 6th floor in this picture red roof over the top!
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Permalink Reply by David Kaftal on
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I think my head is going to explode.
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Marie on
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@David....yep
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