Amid appalling wind and rain, Pope Benedict joined his brother for a nostalgic pilgrimage to Mariazell. But elsewhere there was concern that he was ignoring problems faced by a Church still sore from scandal and suffering decline in numbers

Just a day before the arrival of the Holy Father, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was emphatic that Pope Benedict XVI was coming to Austria for one reason only - to make a religious "pilgrimage".

The Archbishop of Vienna exhorted the media to try not to make the journey into a political event. And even more forcefully he said it would not be a forum for addressing the concerns of millions of disaffected Austrian Catholics, who have demanded changes since clerical sex scandals dating back to the 1980s. The cardinal said that church synods were designed for discussions. Instead, he urged the media to allow the 80-year-old Pope to just "celebrate" the faith with his fellow pilgrims and local believers.

When Pope Benedict landed at Vienna's airport he, too, insisted that he had come as a pilgrim, pointing out that the main focal point of his visit was to mark the 850th anniversary of the Marian shrine of Mariazell in the Alps. Having grown up just across the Austrian border in Bavaria, the Pope confessed that he felt "at home" in the German-speaking country. And even his older brother - Mgr Georg Ratzinger - joined him in Austria for a nostalgic visit to places where they had travelled together many times before.

"This cultural space in the heart of Europe", the Pope said on his arrival on Friday, "is deeply imbued with the message of Jesus Christ ... I intend my pilgrimage to Mariazell to be a journey made in the company of all the pilgrims of our time." And he added that the shrine, with its famous statue of Mary pointing to Christ, indicated "the way to the future".

But the trip to Austria, in fact, was not pure pilgrimage. It could not have been. Because of his juridical position as a head of state, Pope Benedict was obliged to make a "courtesy visit" to Austria's President Heinz Fischer. He also gave a lecture to Austria's political leaders - including members of the 245-strong parliament - and all the foreign diplomats based in Vienna.

The Pope used these occasions to speak on some of the issues that have become central themes during his papacy, including the defence of human life, his concern about the low birth rate in Europe and the importance of maintaining the Christian identity of the "Old Continent".

Addressing the politicians and diplomats in the lavishly decorated Hofburg, the residence of the Habsburg monarchs for nearly seven centuries, Pope Benedict said their gathering was "a good opportunity to take a far-ranging look at today's Europe". He again voiced his deep concern for the survival and vitality of the Church on the continent: "Europe cannot and must not deny her Christian roots," he told the political leaders bluntly. The only way contemporary Europe would be a "good place to live for everyone", he insisted, was if it were built on the "solid cultural and moral foundations" of the Christian tradition.

The Pope condemned the legalisation of abortion, which is common throughout most of the European Union (EU). "Abortion cannot be a human right - it is the very opposite," he said, perhaps making an indirect reference to Amnesty International's decision to abandon its neutral stance on the issue. "Another great concern of mine is the debate on what has been termed ‘actively assisted death'," he said.

He called both abortion and euthanasia products of "terribly misguided courses of action" in Europe, which included "ideological restrictions placed on philosophy, science and also faith" as well as the "degeneration of tolerance into an indifference with no reference to permanent values".

While he praised EU expansion and its prosperity, the Pope accused Europeans of being selfish, as reflected by low birth rates. He insisted that there was a "need to do everything to make European countries once again open to welcoming children" and not see them "as a burden, but rather as a gift for all". This was a theme he returned to even more forcefully the next morning at the rainy outdoor Mass at Mariazell. "Europe has become child-poor," he lamented. "We want everything for ourselves and place little trust in the future," he said.

Pope Benedict is obviously aware that not all Europeans, aside from those who braved the wind and rain to see him, are enthusiastic about his message. In his speeches and homilies in Austria he attempted, perhaps somewhat feebly, to find points in common with those who disagree with him. For example, he cited the famous atheist philosopher  Jürgen Habermas in defence of his claim that there is no alternative to the ethical grounding of modern society apart from its Christian foundations.

For the benefit of Catholic critics, he briefly quoted the late Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz König, in support of his condemnation of abortion. The citation was interesting in that Cardinal König, a much beloved figure and authoritative voice in Austria, consistently disagreed with the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on a whole range of other Church issues.

But Pope Benedict made no concessions to the so-called König Catholics, many of whom were hoping he would offer a clear and public apology for the Vatican's disastrous episcopal appointments that had ended in embarrassing scandal in their country. The closest he came was to thank "all those who suffered in these recent years" and vow to "be of some help in healing these wounds". The remarks, made to journalists before arriving in Austria, gave no hint how he would do this. But the style and venues of the three-day papal visit suggested that a forum for debate within the Church would not be part of any remedy.

Instead, Pope Benedict turned his attention to the contented members of his flock who are more comfortable with the traditional elements of Catholic faith and piety. Prayers before numerous statues of the Virgin Mary, participation at eucharistic adoration (which hundreds of young people continued uninterrupted for the next two days of his visit), and a visit to the conservative Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreutz were devotional highlights of the papal pilgrimage.

Sunday Mass in St Stephen's Cathedral was opera-like as a symphony orchestra performed Joseph Haydn's Mariazeller Messe. The only event that even remotely recognised more socially minded Catholics was a meeting on the last day with those, mostly young people, involved in Catholic volunteer agencies.

Throughout the three-day visit steady rain and irritating winds soaked the modest-sized yet eager crowds that gathered to catch a glimpse of the Pope. Many of these were devotees from new ecclesial movements or parishes. They stood patiently, sometimes for hours, in the miserable conditions. At Mariazell, especially, they braved cold and wind, in addition to the rain. At each event enthusiastic young people distributed thin, yellow, rainproof ponchos and prohibited the use of umbrellas in an effort to assure that there was a clear line of vision to the Pope.

Despite the mostly gloomy weather and the largely unaddressed concern that much of the Catholic faith and culture here no longer hold the same prominence they once did, Pope Benedict was jubilant throughout his three days in Austria. The rain eventually stopped and the sun appeared after Sunday Mass, just in time for him to appear for the Angelus in the square outside the cathedral.

The breezy air whisked away the smiling Pope's white zuchetto and playfully blew his red cape up over his head. Though two more appointments still awaited him before heading back to Rome, that light-hearted noon-time scene seemed to bring an uplifting close to the papal pilgrimage.

(An edited version of the Pope's speech appears on page 39.)

Back to homepage