When fulfilling pastoral functions: the government of Lucerne limits its own voting rights

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The government of Lucerne has decided to waive certain voting rights when filling pastoral positions in the future. She cites the social, political and religious developments of recent years as the reason.

The Holy See approved the adjustment of papal privileges, as the Lucerne State Chancellery announced on Monday. Bishop Felix Gmür formally presented the papal approval to Armin Hartmann, Lucerne’s director of education and culture, on Monday.

The Lucerne Governing Council has always had certain electoral rights in filling approximately twenty pastoral posts. In the future, four voting rights will remain with the Canton of Lucerne: those of the collegiate monasteries of St. Michael in Beromünster and St. Leodegar in Lucerne, as well as the Jesuit Church in Lucerne and the Monastery of St. Urban. This is due to its great cultural and historical significance for the canton, as Regula Huber, communications manager of the Lucerne Education and Culture Directorate, said upon request.

Privileges are difficult to implement

No specific event led to this decision, Huber said. It was the social, religious and political developments that contributed to this. Papal privileges are already difficult to implement in many communities today. And the question of whether this voting right was still relevant had been going on for some time.

The papal privileges of June 11, 1926 are an act of international law between the Holy See and the State of Lucerne – a “non-transferable privilege ad personam” for the government of Lucerne. They give the governing council the right to fulfill pastoral and other ecclesiastical functions.

In practice, today the government receives a proposal from the diocese, which has always been drawn up in consultation and in collaboration with the parish in question and its church council.

Cases of abuse were discussed

The government emphasizes in the press release that there is no connection between papal privileges and the diocese concordat. The Diocesan Concordat grants the Diocese of Basel a unique right to elect bishops in the world, in which the governments of the diocese cantons also have a say. It is said that a dissolution of the privileges of the government of Lucerne will not affect the diocese concordat.

As part of the exchange between the Lucerne Governing Council and Bishop Felix Gmür, cases of abuse within the Catholic Church were also discussed, according to a press release. Armin Hartmann called on Bishop Felix Gmür to ​​thoroughly investigate the cases and bring the perpetrators to justice, as they say. (SDA)

Source:Blick