Sunday mass of a special kind in Kindberg in Styria: At the end of the sermon, the local pastor suddenly told his “sheep” that he wanted to turn his back on the church – because he had met a woman …
“I got to know a woman with whom a common future seems possible and with whom I want to tread this new path together,” said Pastor Andreas Monschein in a written statement. He now wants to tread the “path of truth” and “not lead a double life”. He made this decision after “some struggle.” Compared to the “Kleine Zeitung”, which quoted from the pastor’s letter on Monday, Monschein asked to protect his privacy. The pandemic also played a role. However, he had previously referred to the pandemic in writing taken: The pandemic and lockdowns had “awakened in him the longing to follow a more regulated daily routine and life plan”. The 40-year-old Feldbacher led the parish in Kindberg for six years, as well as three other parishes in the Mürz Valley. In addition, Monschein was involved in pastoral care. The diocese of Graz-Seckau regretted the loss of a “valuable priest”, but they wished him “God’s blessing”.
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