Interview with a newcomer

Priest in sneakers wants to bring church to the people

White sneakers with a priest's robe? Stephen Dsouza shows: It's possible.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

He is one of only a few left: Stephen Dsouza was ordained a priest in Innsbruck in September. The 33-year-old spoke to the "Krone" newspaper about his friendship with God, the problems in the church, the differences between his original homeland of India and Tyrol and about pastoral care, which is easier at village festivals.

Why did you become a priest - and why in Tyrol?
I didn't actually want to become a priest. In the last year of my studies in India, I suddenly had this thought. I can't explain it. My uncle is a priest in Switzerland and recommended that I study theology in Innsbruck.