Lucerne waives voting rights when filling parish positions
Published: Monday, Nov 20th 2023, 15:50
Updated At: Monday, Nov 20th 2023, 15:53
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The Lucerne government has decided to waive some of its voting rights when filling pastoral positions in future. The reason given is the social, political and religious developments of recent years.
The Holy See has given its approval for the adjustment of papal privileges, as announced by the Lucerne State Chancellery on Monday. Bishop Felix Gmür formally presented the papal approval to Lucerne's Director of Education and Culture Armin Hartmann on Monday.
The Lucerne cantonal council has always had certain voting rights when filling around 20 parish positions. In future, four electoral rights are to 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 of Lucerne and the monastery of St. Urban. This is because of their great cultural and historical significance for the canton, as Regula Huber, Head of Communications at the Lucerne Department of Education and Culture, said on request.
No specific event led to this decision, said Huber. It was social, religious and political developments that had contributed to this. The papal privileges were already difficult to implement in many communities. And the question of whether these electoral rights were still appropriate had been around for some time.
Voting rights since 1926
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" to the Lucerne government. They give the government council the right to fill parish posts and other ecclesiastical positions.
In practice, the government now receives a proposal from the diocese, which is always developed with the agreement and cooperation of the relevant parish and its church council.
In the press release, the government emphasizes that there is no connection between the papal privileges and the diocesan concordat. The diocesan concordat grants the diocese of Basel a globally unique right to elect bishops, which also guarantees the governments of the diocesan cantons a say. The dissolution of the Lucerne government's privileges would not affect the diocesan concordat, according to the statement.
As part of the exchange between the Lucerne cantonal councillor and Bishop Felix Gmür, the cases of abuse within the Catholic Church were also discussed, according to a press release. Armin Hartmann called on Bishop Felix Gmür to fully investigate the cases and bring those responsible to justice, according to the press release.
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