Cardinal: Leave the Church Doors Open for Devotion

Do everything possible, and the impossible, to allow the faithful and persons seeking God to have access to Jesus.

ARS, France (Zenit.org) - The archbishop of Vienna, Austria, is urging priests to pray well, and to help all people dialogue with God by opening church doors to those who want to show devotion.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn affirmed this Wednesday in a retreat he is preaching for priests in Ars, at the site of St. John Vianney's parish in the context of the Year for Priests and the saint's 150th anniversary.

The seven-day retreat, which ends Sunday, has gathered priests from many countries.

In Wednesday's meditation, on "Prayer and Spiritual Combat," the cardinal stated that the "combat of prayer" is the battle par excellence.

Part of this combat includes the "matter of the place of prayer," he added.

The prelate recalled the example of St. John Vianney, who instructed his parishioners to focus on the tabernacle in prayer, stating, "He is there, he is there!"

This is a "constant invitation to us to take advantage of it," the cardinal added.

He noted, however, that "in Austria we carry on a constant struggle to keep our churches open, accessible to the faithful and to others who are seeking, as it is a grave wound to the Body of Christ that churches have their doors closed."

Devotion

Cardinal Schönborn urged, "Do everything possible, and the impossible, to allow the faithful and persons seeking God -- whom God awaits -- to have access to Jesus in the Eucharist: Don't close the doors of your churches, please!"

He observed that there are many people who no longer go to Mass, but will still step inside a church if it is open.

They may come to light a candle, he noted, or a grandmother might visit with her grandchildren to show small signs of devotion.

For these, the prelate exhorted, "Let us leave our churches open!"

He also affirmed the benefits of lay people seeing their priests "in the act of prayer before the tabernacle."

Cardinal Schönborn shared a childhood memory with the priests: "In Vorarlberg [Austria], in the afternoon, there was always a light in the church: It was the parish priest who was praying there. That remained engraved in my memory."

He concluded, "The combat of prayer is truly the combat of our life."