Det turbulente bispedømmet Chur deles

Pave Johannes Paul II delte den 2. desember det sveitsisk-liechtensteinske bispedømmet Chur, og opprettet Vaduz som nytt erkebispedømme. Erkebiskopen blir msgr. Wolfgang Haas, som siden 1990 og inntil nå har vært biskop av Chur.

Det nye erkebispedømmet består av den lille delen av bispedømmet Chur som ligger innenfor Liechtensteins grenser. Erkebiskop Haas stammer selv fra Liechtenstein, og er altså selv ikke sveitser. Størstedelen av Chur ligger i Sveits.

Det har helt siden msgr. Haas (49) ble utnevnt i 1990 vært sterk strid om hans person og lederstil. Et flertall av prestene og det aktive kirkefolk har kritisert ham sterkt. I 1993 utnevnte Vatikanet, i et trekk som ble oppfattet som et forsøk på å "balansere" toppledelsen i bispedømmet, to hjelpebiskoper som nyter betydelig anseelse: msgr. Peter Henrici S.J. og Paul Vollmar S.M. De to ble samtidig automatisk generalvikarer, dvs. utstyrt med myndighet som langt på vei tilsvarer biskopens.

Men etter en tid begynte turbulensen på nytt, og for en drøy måned siden gikk den sveitsiske untenriksdepartement til det uvanlige skritt å oppfordre Vatikanet til å finne en snarlig løsning på problemene i Chur. For tre uker siden utnevnte biskop Haas tre såkalte biskopelige vikarer fra den gruppe i presteskapet som støtter hans linje, faktisk tre som ble fjernet fra sine dekanatsposter i og med utnevnelse av hjelpebiskoper i 1993. Dette ble oppfattet av kritikerne som et trekk som skulle redusere de to hjelpebiskopers vekt i bispedømmets sentrale rådgivende organer. En biskopelig vikar er i enkelte sammenhenger rettslig omtrent likeverdig med en hjelpebiskop som er generalvikar. Den kritikk som fulgte i farvannet av disse utnevnelser fra bl.a. prestehold var sterkere i ordvalg og karakteristikker en det som noensinne tidligere var blitt brukt mot biskopen.

Chur ble opprettet som bispedømme i det 5. århundre. Forrige gang grensene ble vesentlig rokket ved, var i 1823, da Sankt Gallen ble opprettet som bispedømme. Chur er en liten by, men bispedømmet omfatter bl.a. Zürich.

TILLEGG - om konflikten i Chur

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Europe - Swiss Government urges Vatican to act in Chur

Fra "The Tablet", 1. november 1997

The Swiss Government is to support an attempt to end the controversy that has surrounded Bishop Wolfgang Haas of Chur since his appointment in 1990. The bishop has been in conflict with clergy and lay people in his diocese, who have accused him of adopting an authoritarian style and conservative agenda.

A spokesman for the Swiss foreign ministry announced on 20 October that the Government was to ask the Vatican to act. The announcement followed a meeting in August of leaders of the seven cantons of the Chur diocese with the foreign minister, Flavio Cotti. They had asked him to relay to the Pope the extent of the situation in the diocese.

Mr Cotti noted that the cantons had expressed "great preoccupation with the issue of Bishop Haas". In view of its diplomatic relations with the Holy See, he said, the Swiss Government had decided to refer the matter to the Vatican, without interfering in the Church's internal affairs.

But a spokesman for the Chur diocese, Christoph Cassetti, said that the Government's action would amount to such interference, and would "take us back to the Middle Ages". The constitution guaranteed separation of Church and State, he argued.

Cassetti said that Bishop Haas and other Swiss bishops had discussed the Chur diocese with the Vatican during their ad limina visit in September. Bishop Haas believed that he had the Vatican's support.

Europe - Haas condemned for rigging bishop's council

Fra "The Tablet", 15. november 1997

Bishop Wolfgang Haas of Chur has aroused new anger in his diocese by appointing his three former vicars-general as episcopal vicars, Jean Bühler reports from Switzerland. The three - Fr Christoph Casetti, Fr Walter Niederberger and Dr Vitus Huonder - were removed from their vicariates in 1993 when Pope John Paul appointed Peter Henrici SJ and Paul Vollmar SM as auxiliary bishops to Haas (The Tablet, 13 March 1993).

Although their appointments have not been confirmed by the bishop, the three new episcopal vicars will have voting rights in the episcopal council. Formerly membership of the council was restricted to Bishop Haas and his two auxiliaries, who could therefore act as a counterbalance to the bishop. On 8 November the Swiss daily newspaper Tagesanzeiger carried a statement by 14 of the 16 deans of the diocese regretting that Bishop Haas had now created a majority in his favour in the council, and had neutralised the voices of the two auxiliary bishops appointed by the Pope.

The dean of the Albis region, Dr Martin Kopp, told priests and pastoral assistants on 10 November that Bishop Haas's move was a reckless provocation of the ministers in the diocese, the bishops' conference and even Rome.

Europe - More calls for Bishop Haas to go

Fra "The Tablet", 29. november 1997

The five deans of the cantons of Zurich and Glarus have presented a resolution to their cantonal council of ministers asking Pope John Paul to remove Bishop Wolfgang Haas of Chur from the diocese. The bishop has been involved in a bitter conflict with the greater part of his diocese ever since he was appointed bishop in 1991, Jean Drummond-Young Bühler reports from Winterthur, Switzerland.

The council passed the resolution by 107 votes to 2, with 16 abstentions. It has urged the Pope to take steps to appoint a bishop "capable of giving confidence and in whom one can place one's confidence".

In Obwalden, another canton of the diocese, priests and pastoral assistants voted unanimously for Haas to resign, and decided that they did not want three newly-appointed episcopal vicars.