The cardinal and the Priests' Initiative group, formed by Father Helmut Schueller, have engaged in an intensifying war of words for several months.

The priests' group has pledged to give Communion to Protestants and to divorced and remarried Catholics. It has also called for an end to the celibate priesthood and for the ordination of women as priests.

The group says these such reforms are necessary to reduce the number of Catholics cancelling their membership of the Church, and to make the priesthood a more attractive option for young men.

Fr Schueller says 10 per cent of Austrian clergy have joined his group, though other reports say the figure is closer to 7.5 per cent.

Cardinal Schonborn has criticised the group for using the word "disobedience", saying "you cannot build up Church life on the basis of disobedience".

He said: "We think the diagnosis is correct: yes, there is a crisis. But we have a different opinion regarding the therapy."

Cardinal Schonborn said he will not appoint supporters of the manifesto to the position of dean, and will not renew appointments of those who already have this status.

"You can easily remain a member of the Priests' Initiative. You must only distance yourself from the ‘Call to Disobedience' in an appropriate way," his spokesman said.

One dean, Father Peter Meidinger, said he had stepped down after a conversation with the cardinal. He said that the manifesto used the word "disobedience" in the sense of "civil disobedience", a concept to be used "when the leaders are simply not prepared to listen to people".

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

Austrian Times

Image: Benoit-et-moi 2012

The head of Vienna's Roman Catholic community ruled out sweeping changes demanded by dissident priests and said there could be "serious conflict" if they defied Church teaching on celibacy or give communion to remarried divorcees.

"If in our diocese here I would step out of line with the community of the Catholic Church then I would lead our diocese into a schism. I am not ready for this and I think no Austrian bishop is ready for this," he said on Saturday.

He said that it was not too late to reach common ground in a second round of talks due later this year.

"All possibilities are open. I am counting on dialogue and cooperation," he said.

Dissidents led by parish priest Helmut Schueller have issued the manifesto and say they hope the campaign will persuade Schoenborn to push reforms with Pope Benedict and the Vatican.

"We are now really going to step on the gas," Hans-Peter Hurka, head of the Catholic reform group "We are the Church," told newspaper Der Standard this week, announcing plans to have hundreds of demonstrators march on bishops' offices.

"It is like in Egypt. There will be a revolution of Church people in Austria. We will make St. Stephen's Square into Tahrir Square," another activist, Anton Achleitner, said, referring to the square where Egyptians staged protests that ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.

The dispute has come to a head just before Pope Benedict's September 22-25 visit to neighbouring Germany. Benedict, 84, grew up in Bavarian villages close to the Austrian border.

Catholic reform groups in Germany have made similar demands, and a prominent retired Irish bishop, Edward Daly, called on Tuesday for an end to compulsory celibacy for priests, saying it was pushing new recruits away.

Source: Reuters UK

Image: Bilgrimage