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Lay Homily: Swiss Bishop Ousted Priest

Homosex Basel Bishop Felix Gmür has caused turmoil in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.

The parish is run by Father Jan Walentek, a Polish Redemptorist who lives with two Polish confreres in the town’s Redemptorist house.

Kreuzlingen belongs to a so-called "pastoral region." The diocese designated a female pastoral assistant as its leader, since Walentek showed modest organisational skills. This would have turned the parish-priest into a "collaborating priest." The Redemptorists were not happy about this.

In addition, Bishop Gmür ordered Walentek to allow lay sermons, because this is a “custom" in Basel diocese which however contradicts Canon Law. Walentek refused.

A meeting between the bishop and the Polish superior of the Redemptorists caused a break. The superior decided to recall his priests. As a consequences, Kreuzlingen's Redemptorist house will likely be closed down.

The local parish council is angry about Gmür's inability to find a compromise. He calls the departure of the priests in July 2020 a "catastrophe."

Kreuzlingen is a problem-parish. Walentek's predecessor, Monsignor Alois Jehle, former chaplain of the Swiss Guard and member of the Roman Curia, was ousted from the parish in 2017 for being "too Catholic."

Picture: Gottfried Locher, Felix Gmür, © Sibylle Kathriner, CC BY-NC, #newsNjiqryrzde

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