Considerable perplexity has been caused in various circles by the announcement of an Apostolic Visitation to the famous Austrian Cistercian abbey of Heiligenkreuz.
Newsroom, June 16, 2025, Gaudium Press – The Italian site Silere Non Possum (SNP) broke the news under the headline: “Heiligenkreuz Under Attack. Silencing What Works: The Strategy of Frustrated Power.” Heiligenkreuz, meaning “Holy Cross” in German, is located in Austria. The abbey itself confirmed the visitation on its official website.
According to the report, just days ago, a letter was issued by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life addressed to the Cistercian community of Heiligenkreuz, announcing an Apostolic Visitation to be carried out by the dicastery. While such a visitation—or even the appointment of a commissioner—is not, in itself, a punitive measure against a religious community, it is only warranted if there are well-founded suspicions of circumstances that require Vatican intervention because the community itself is unable to address them.
Nevertheless, many voices point out that during the previous pontificate, apostolic visitations and commissaries were often applied not so much due to internal dysfunctions but because of opposition to a community’s particular way of expressing its charism or living out its ecclesial life—styles which some deemed too “conservative” or “outdated.” There is concern that this might again be the case with Heiligenkreuz—a community with numerous vocations and a well-deserved international reputation as a spiritual reference point.
Silere Non Possum does not mince words in alleging that “behind this intervention from the Dicastery stands the controversial figure of Mauro Giuseppe Lepori, Abbot General of the Cistercian Order, who has long led a personal and stubborn crusade against those within his own religious family who dare to follow paths different from his own… Lepori has done everything to place under commission those religious communities that don’t reflect his mold—even without concrete accusations or evidence.” Such claims have also been made in regard to past visitations and commissaries. As if to say: “I don’t like your style—let’s investigate you.”
To support its claims, SNP refers to the precedent of the Monastery of San Giacomo de Veglia, “targeted due to the unscrupulous actions of Lepori and the silent complicity of the Dicastery.” The article continues: “Abbot Heim [current abbot of Heiligenkreuz] has repeatedly been the subject of Lepori’s destructive criticism, ‘guilty’ of embodying a model of Cistercian life that is ‘not monastic enough’ according to Italian or French standards. But is there only one way to be a monk? Or is the Church composed of diverse charisms?” The article argues that a lack of respect for legitimately Catholic expressions of religious charism runs counter to the peace and unity so often emphasized by the current pontificate.
SNP also hints at possible human motivations behind the move, citing a darker reality all too present in ecclesial relations—envy. The editor writes:
“Here arises a fundamental issue: envy—an endemic plague in the clergy and religious world. Whenever something works, regenerates, attracts vocations, and restores the People of God’s trust, someone—frustrated and insecure—is always ready to cast doubt, sow calumny, and spin toxic narratives. Accusations require no proof—just a whisper, a hint, or an anonymous email to the right person, and the inquisitorial machine gets underway. Moral accusations pour forth, but in truth, what is attributed to others is often the projection of the accuser’s own hidden desires. Recent Church history is filled with summary processes where the term ‘Apostolic Visitation’ becomes synonymous with suspicion, not truth or paternal care.”
This kind of news revives what might be called the ghosts of the past.
It is no secret that before the election of Leo XIV, the Church was deeply polarized, with some fearing potential schisms. And yet, in just a few short weeks of Pope Prevost’s pontificate—a reality inexplicable without invoking grace—those tensions seem to have been dispelled, replaced by a renewed hope for nearly all.
However, if cases like that of Heiligenkreuz are not handled with complete transparency, some may be tempted to “keep their daggers sharp.” After all, if every rumor triggers an Apostolic Visitation, there would not be enough competent clergy to conduct them—especially considering that some communities, far more credibly accused, have not been subject to such measures. (SCM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
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