New Bishop of Linz Withdraws

Given the fierce criticism, I have been in prayer, and after consultation with the diocesan bishop came to the conclusion to ask the Holy Father in Rome to withdraw my nomination as Bishop of Linz.

LINZ (Catholic Online) - The Diocese of Linz in Austria has become a center of almost every heretical and heterodox tendency within the European Catholic Church. We have reported about the abuses. We also reported favorably about the recent selection of Maria Gerhard Wagner as the new Bishops of the Diocese of Linz.

One of our sources for following all of this has been the very accurate Web Blog entitled "Catholic Church Conservation" (see http://cathcon.blogspot.com/). They have done a service to the rest of the Church by following the blatant liturgical abuses and sometimes overt but under the radar acts of infidelity in this Diocese for a very long time.

Today, they reported what appears to be an act of either disrespect or defiance of Papal authority and the humble responsive action of a loving and faithful priest. The entire Linz matter raises issues for the Holy Father in his efforts to preside over the Church in certain parts of Europe which are certainly not following the full teaching of the Church:

Sunday, February 15, 2009, New Auxillary Bishop of Linz offers resignation.

The controversial cleric has asked the Vatican to withdraw his nomination, this corresponded to the request - no comment from the Diocesan Bishop Schwarz.Maria Gerhard Wagner, Bishop-designate in Linz...has asked for the withdrawal of his nomination

Linz -This Sunday evening, in connection with the controversial appointment of the vicar of Windischgarsten in Upper Austria, Maria Gerhard Wagner, as the Auxilliary Bishop of Linz, there has been an unexpected twist. Wagner has made a step backwards and requested the Holy See that his nomination should be withdrawn

Wagner has asked the Diocesan Bishop Ludwig Schwarz to send to the media a short statement. It reads: "Given the fierce criticism, I have been in prayer, and after consultation with the diocesan bishop came to the conclusion to ask the Holy Father in Rome to withdraw my nomination as Bishop of Linz."

The statement was made available to the Communications Office of the Diocese of Linz on Sunday evening. When asked, its director Ferdinand Kaineder said that there would be no further comment from Bishop Schwarz. Similarly, for the time being no further comments are planned. He pointed to the special meeting of the Austrian Bishops' Conference set for Monday in Vienna."

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'