Old Catholic Church of Austria

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Old Catholic Church of Austria
Basic data
Church fellowship Union of Utrecht
management Bishop of Austria, Synod, Synodal Council
bishop Heinz Lederleitner
Bishop emeritus Bernhard Heitz , Johannes Okoro
priest 15th
Parishes 13 (12 independent parishes, 1 sub-parish)
Old Catholics 14,621 (official 2001)
11,500 (2007)
Cathedral church St. Salvator , Vienna
Website www.altkatholiken.at

The Old Catholic Church of Austria is an independent member church of the Utrecht Union of Old Catholic Churches in the territory of the Republic of Austria . It is an independent, recognized church and a member of the World Council of Churches (World Council of Churches ), the Conference of European Churches  (KEK) and the World Council of Churches in Austria  (ÖRKÖ).

history

In the monarchy

Since Austria was geographically close to the Old Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht through the Austrian Netherlands in the 18th century , there were first points of contact even then. For example, Gerard van Swieten , Maria Theresa's personal physician , was a member of the Utrecht Church .

The Old Catholic Church emerged in the Danube Monarchy during the protests against the First Vatican Council . On July 30, 1870, on the initiative of the then Minister of Education, Karl von Stremayr , Emperor Franz Josef unilaterally dissolved the concordat concluded with the Vatican in 1855 on the grounds that the contractual partner had become a different one - namely an infallible one. Ignaz von Döllinger also received innumerable letters of approval from Austria-Hungary from private individuals, but also from political associations and municipal councils who adopted the so-called "Döllinger addresses". It was mostly liberals who supported Döllinger's protest. The Austrian clergyman Alois Anton, who worked for the Vienna Constitutional Suburb newspaper, wrote articles that not only represented Döllinger's point of view, but also urged reforms within the Roman Catholic Church .

At the same time, Anton suggested the establishment of a "Rome-free religious community" in Vienna. Around 20,000 people in this city were interested in this new movement within the Roman Catholic Church, which was getting stronger. The archbishops of Vienna and Prague, despite their protest at the council, did not endorse this new movement in their church. It was the City Council of Vienna that made the chapel of the Old Town Hall available to the Old Catholics . The first Old Catholic service was held there on Sunday, October 15, 1871.

In addition, other important communities developed in Ried im Innkreis in Upper Austria and in Warnsdorf in Northern Bohemia . Especially in the rich industrial town of Warnsdorf, with today's co- cathedral Metamorphosis of Christ , the Old Catholic community flourished very quickly, and the first bishopric was built there. In Ried the congregation gathered around the pastor Dr. Josef Brader and got the 300-year-old Holy Spirit Church from the township for use.

After long conflicts and many concessions (renouncing a share of the Roman Catholic Church's assets, religious fund assets and state contributions to the Catholic Church) on the Old Catholic side, the Old Catholic Church in Austria was recognized by the state in 1877.

The first synod was held in 1879. On it the church constitution was passed and the reforms of the German and Swiss churches were largely introduced, for example:

  • the introduction of the national language in worship (instead of the Latin liturgy)
  • Communion under both forms
  • the abolition of compulsory confession and the creation of penitential devotions instead of auricular confession
  • the dispensation from celibacy, which has allowed married priests and bishops since then

1918-1945

The collapse and the constitutional division of the monarchy in 1918 led to the separation into an Austrian and a Czech diocese .

In the pastoral letter of 1924, some positions of the Old Catholic Church were recorded again, for example:

Not least because of this pastoral attitude, the number of Old Catholics in the First Republic continued to rise. There was not yet a compulsory civil marriage, so many of the converts had taken advantage of the so-called dispense marriage .

In the time of Austrofascism there were legal restrictions for Old Catholics. At the same time, however, the church also recorded around 7,000 new members because now all state officials had to belong to a religious denomination. Due to the dissatisfaction with the corporate state in Viennese working circles, many social democrats were also involved in the numerical growth of Old Catholicism in the interwar period.

Since 1931 the Old Catholic Church of Austria, like the other churches of the Union of Utrecht, has been in full ecclesial communion with the Anglican Church on the basis of the Bonn Agreement . This communio in sacris means that Anglicans and Old Catholics are mutually admitted to the sacraments.

From 1938 to 1945 the Austrian Old Catholic parishes were forcibly part of the German Reich Church. Their history in the Third Reich has been researched more intensively in recent years.

1945-2000

In 1945 Austria was re-established under constitutional law, but it was divided into four zones of occupation, which made communication between the Old Catholic communities difficult. War damage had to be repaired in many churches and places of worship. In 1957, the 80th anniversary of the state recognition of the Old Catholic Church was celebrated; Federal President Adolf Schärf and other political representatives took part in the festive service in the renovated St Salvatorkirche .

After Vatican II, Roman Catholic / Old Catholic dialogue commissions were formed in some European countries, including Austria. In October 1968, the Roman Catholic participants met in Zurich for a conference, which resulted in the Zurich Nota . This document dealt with the mutual conditional admission to the sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, so as a result the application of the Eastern Church decree (nos. 27 and 28) also to Old Catholics. The Zurich Nota was recognized by the mutual episcopate in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Austria and sent by the Roman Catholic Episcopate to the Unity Secretariat in Rome. In the course of the 1970s, further implementing provisions were drawn up, but the Vatican ultimately did not issue promulgation.

As a further ecumenical sign, Cardinal Franz König lifted the interdict, which had existed since 1871 and was directed against the Old Catholic Church of Salvator in the Old Vienna City Hall, in 1969 . Cardinal König was later a frequent guest in this church.

In 1985, an agreement was signed between the Evangelical and Old Catholic Churches in Germany regarding a mutual invitation to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist ; the Old Catholic Church of Austria and the Evangelical Church AB in Austria have also adopted this hospitality agreement .

Since 1997, by resolution of the Synod, women can be ordained in the Old Catholic Church in Austria , and so there was a female pastor in the Vienna-West parish who, however, moved to the German diocese .

Since 2000

In 2003 the 14 Christian churches in Austria, including the Old Catholic Church, jointly published the Ecumenical Social Word . Also in 2003, Joris Vercammen , in his role as Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht and Honorary Primate of the Old Catholic Church Fellowship, visited all 13 Austrian parishes for the first time.

Members of the International Roman-Catholic-Old Catholic Dialogue Commission , which was constituted in 2004, are sent by the International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Pontifical Unity Council ( Walter Cardinal Kasper until 2010, since then Kurt Cardinal Koch ); Austria is also represented in this ecumenical commission by an Old Catholic theologian.

In 2006 the Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Wien / Krems began teaching, with the Roman Catholic ( Archdiocese of Vienna , Diocese of St. Pölten ), the Evangelical, the Orthodox and the Old Catholic Church appearing together in ecumenical cooperation.

In October 2011 the celebrations for Anglicans and Old Catholics: 80 Years of Church Fellowship took place. In the same year, Bishop John Okoro of the Orthodox Church in Austria condoled on the death of the Metropolitan of Austria Michael Staikos , who as Co-President of the International Orthodox-Old Catholic Dialogue Commission was a competent contact in ecumenism.

The program for the ninth Long Night of the Churches in 2013 was presented jointly by the Old Catholic Bishop Okoro, Superintendent Hansjörg Lein and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Vicar Dariusz Schutzki in the Church of St. Salvator of the Old Catholic parish in Vienna.

The International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference was received in a private audience by Pope Francis in the Vatican in October 2014 . The papal address paid tribute to the role of the International Roman Catholic - Old Catholic Dialogue Commission (IRAD) and the report on the Church and Communion of the Church . The report Church and Church Fellowship, also published in Documents of Growing Consensus , summarizes the work of the bilateral commission in 89 paragraphs. He names similarities, but also a number of different conceptions in dogmatics. Further discussions will be held in the dialogue commission on the ecumenical questions not yet dealt with in the report. During the reception, the Austrian Bishop Johannes Okoro presented the Pope with an Old Catholic Missal.

In June 2017 the International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference (IBK) met again in Vienna. The main topic was the blessing of same-sex partnerships . Traditionally, the meeting was also attended by a bishop from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church. More than 350 people took part at the 32nd International Old Catholic Congress 2018 in Vienna.

organization

Bishop of Austria

The old Catholic bishop of Austria is Heinz Lederleitner . He was elected as the new bishop by the synod on October 24, 2015. He was ordained bishop on February 13, 2016, by the Archbishop of Utrecht Joris Vercammen. Heinz Lederleitner succeeded Bishop Johannes Okoro , who retired for reasons of age at the end of 2015 and has been former bishop since then .

The vicar general is the representative of the Austrian bishop . Martin Eisenbraun from Salzburg currently holds this position.

See also: → List of the Austrian Old Catholic Bishops

Synod and Synodal Council

The Old Catholic Church has an episcopal-synodal structure. The synod consists of two thirds lay people and one third clergy . The synod is the supreme legislative body of the church in secular affairs; it also elects the bishop. Each parish sends - depending on the size of the members - a certain number of lay representatives.

The synodal council and the bishop together form the church leadership. In particular, all administrative tasks between the synods are the responsibility of the Synodal Council. The council consists of six secular and three spiritual members who are elected by the synod for a period of six years.

Community assembly and community board

The parish assembly consists of all Old Catholics living in the parish. The assembly elects the pastor, the church councils and the representatives to the synod, and also takes note of the reports of the pastor and the auditor. It is convened at least once a year.

The parish council assists the pastor, administers the secular affairs of the parish, draws up the annual budget and implements the resolutions of the parish meeting. The board is elected on a voluntary basis for six years.

Old Catholic Diakonia

The Altkatholische Diakonie Austria association is a member of Diakonie Austria . The Diakonieverein is the social aid organization of the Old Catholic Church.

Publications

  • Church in Motion - diocese newspaper of the Old Catholic Church in Austria serves as the nationwide church newspaper . Church on the move appears quarterly.
  • The yearbook of the Old Catholic Church of Austria appears annually and includes, among other things, a review of the church events of the past year. A part of the yearbook is always dedicated to a specific topic.
  • Each parish also publishes its own regional parish information (parish letter, parish letter).

Parishes

Old Catholic parishes can be found all over the country, with a greater density of parishes in eastern Austria .

Parish Pastoral care room Parish church image
Old Catholic parish Vienna - inside Districts of Vienna 1. Inner City, 4. Wieden, 5. Margareten, 6. Mariahilf, 7. Neubau, 8. Josefstadt, 9. Alsergrund, 16. Ottakring, 17. Hernals, 18. Währing, 19. Döbling (center and Middle-North),
Lower Austria : Districts Wiener Neustadt , Wiener Neustadt Land , Baden , Mödling , Neunkirchen ,
Burgenland : Districts Eisenstadt , Eisenstadt-Umgebung , Rust , Mattersburg , Oberpullendorf 		Diocese Church of Saint Salvator ,
in the Old Vienna City Hall 		Salvatorkapelle.jpg,
Old Catholic parish Vienna-West Districts of Vienna : 10. Favoriten, 12. Meidling, 13. Hietzing, 14. Penzing, 15. Fünfhaus, 23. Liesing Old Catholic Heilandskirche (Vienna)
in the Vienna district of Fünfhaus 		currently no photo
Old Catholic parish Vienna-North Vienna districts : 2nd Leopoldstadt, 20th Brigittenau, 21st Floridsdorf, 22nd Donaustadt (Danube Island, Vienna-East),
Lower Austria: districts Gänserndorf , Mistelbach , former district Vienna-Umgebung , Korneuburg , Hollabrunn 		Old Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Vienna)
in the Brigittenau district of Vienna 		currently no photo
Old Catholic parish Vienna East Districts of Vienna : 3. Landstrasse, 11. Simmering (middle-south),
Lower Austria: Districts Schwechat , Bruck / Leitha 		Old Catholic Christ Chapel (Vienna)
in the Simmering district of Vienna 		currently no photo
Old Catholic parish of Baden The sub-community (diaspora community) of Baden is legally part of the parish Vienna-Innen.
Lower Austria : Baden and Mödling districts 		St. Anne's Chapel
in Baden near Vienna 		Baden near Vienna Bürgerspital.JPG
Old Catholic parish Krems-St. Pölten Lower Austria- West: Districts of St. Pölten , St. Pölten-Land , Krems an der Donau , Krems-Land , Scheibbs , Melk , Waidhofen an der Ybbs , Amstetten , Zwettl , Gmünd , Waidhofen an der Thaya , Tulln , Horn , Lilienfeld . Church services in St. Pölten, Krems ( Willibrord Chapel Krems) , Amstetten, Purkersdorf and Waidhofen / Thaya Bürgerspitalkirche (St. Pölten)
in St. Pölten		 Citizens Hospital with Chapel.JPG
Old Catholic parish Graz Styria : Graz and all districts,
Burgenland: districts Jennersdorf , Güssing , Oberwart 		Resurrection Church
in Graz 		Old Catholic Church Graz.jpg
Old Catholic parish Linz Linz , Eferding , Freistadt , Kirchdorf / Krems , Perg , Rohrbach , Steyr , Steyr-Land , Urfahr-Umgebung , Wels and Wels-Land . Church services in Linz and Wels Pruner Stiftskirche
in Linz 		Prunerstift (Linz) - Altarpiece Altomonte.jpg
Old Catholic parish in Ried im Innkreis the districts of Ried im Innkreis , Schärding , Braunau / Inn , Grieskirchen , Vöcklabruck , Gmunden . Church services in Ried / Innkreis, Schärding and Gmunden Christ Church
in Ried im Innkreis 		Ried im Innkreis Christ Church.jpg
Old Catholic parish for Carinthia and East Tyrol Carinthia : Klagenfurt and all districts,
East Tyrol : Lienz district . Church services in Klagenfurt, Villach (Villach Castle Chapel ), St. Veit / Glan and Lienz 		St. Mark's Church
in Klagenfurt 		Altkath Markuskirche Klagenfurt 2.jpg
Old Catholic parish in Salzburg Province of Salzburg : City of Salzburg and all districts Schlosskirche St. Johannes in Mirabell Palace
in the city of Salzburg 		Mirabell Palace Church.jpg
Old Catholic parish in North Tyrol Tyrol : Innsbruck and all districts in North Tyrol , excluding East Tyrol Church services in the social center Höttinger Au
in Innsbruck 		currently no photo
Old Catholic parish of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg : Feldkirch and all districts. Church services in Feldkirch, Dornbirn and Bludenz. Vorarlberg was elevated to the 12th parish of Austria by the sub-community in 2018. Evangelical Pauluskirche (shared use of the church)
in Feldkirch 		Pauluskirche, Bermanngasse 2 Feldkirch 2.JPG
Pastoral support
outside of Austria 		Pastoral care room Parish church image
Old Catholic parish Bolzano, St. Magdalena: South Tyrol . The congregation does not have its own pastor and is currently being looked after by Innsbruck across borders. Evangelical Christ Church (shared use of the church)
in Bolzano 		Evangelical Christ Church in Bozen Gries - Interior.JPG
See also: → List of Old Catholic Church Buildings: Old Catholic Church of Austria , an overview

literature

  • Christian Halama: Old Catholics in Austria, history and inventory. Böhlau, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-205-77224-5 .
  • Christian Blankenstein-Halama: Being a Christian, but where? Old Catholic positions. Bautz, Nordhausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-88309-392-5 .
  • Christian Blankenstein-Halama: Old Catholic Pastoral Letters (from Austria). Bautz, Nordhausen 2010; ISBN 978-3-88309-591-2 .
  • Church and Church Fellowship, Report of the International Roman-Catholic - Old Catholic Dialogue Commission. Bonifatius, Paderborn and Lembeck, Frankfurt / Main 2009; ISBN 978-3-87476-601-2 .

Web links

Commons : Old Catholic Church of Austria  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

f1Georeferencing Map with all linked sites: OSM | WikiMap

  1. ^ Old Catholic parish of St. Salvator
  2. ^ Old Catholic parish Heilandskirche Wien-West
  3. ↑ To the Good Shepherd Old Catholic Church Community Vienna-North
  4. ^ Old Catholic parish Vienna East
  5. ^ Old Catholic Church - Diaspora community / sub-community Baden
  6. ^ Old Catholic parish Krems-St. Pölten
  7. ^ Old Catholic parish of Graz for Styria and southern Burgenland
  8. ^ Old Catholic Church Linz and Upper Austria East
  9. ^ Old Catholic Church in Ried im Innkreis and Upper Austria West
  10. ↑ Old Catholic Parish Office for Carinthia and East Tyrol
  11. ↑ Old Catholic parish of Salzburg
  12. ^ Old Catholic parish in North Tyrol
  13. ^ Old Catholic parish of Vorarlberg
  14. ^ Old Catholics in South Tyrol

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.altkatholiken.at: The Church Management ( Memento from February 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (frameless)
  2. ↑ www.altkatholiken.at: Our clergy. ( Memento from February 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Statistics Austria: Population according to religious belief and federal states 1951 to 2001. PDF, table.
  4. ^ ORF, notification from November 19, 2007
  5. ^ Christian wing: The Union of Utrecht and the history of its churches . 1st edition. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2006, ISBN 3-8334-6069-5 , p. 40-44 .
  6. ↑ Old Catholics celebrate themselves. In: religion.orf.at. October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Alfred Rinnerthaler: A Church for Salzburg's Old Catholics: Controversies about the establishment of an Old Catholic parish in Salzburg . Peter Lang, 2008, ISBN 978-3-631-57083-8 , pp. 19 .
  8. ↑ 99. Ordinance of the Minister for Cultus and Education of October 18, 1877 < http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=rgb&date=18770004&seite=00000210 >, accessed on January 3, 2015
  9. ^ Christian wing: The Union of Utrecht and the history of its churches . 1st edition. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2006, ISBN 3-8334-6069-5 , p. 40-44 .
  10. ^ Christian Halama: Old Catholics in Austria. History and inventory . 1st edition. Böhlau, Vienna Cologne Weimar 2008, ISBN 3-205-77224-5 , p. 513-538 .
  11. ^ Karl Vocelka: Multi-denominational Austria. Religions in the past and present . 1st edition. Styria, Vienna Graz Klagenfurt 2013, ISBN 978-3-222-13392-3 , p. 158-161 .
  12. ^ Victor Conzemius: Catholicism without Rome. The Old Catholic Church Fellowship . Benziger , Zurich Einsiedeln Cologne 1969, p. 92 .
  13. ↑ Christian Blankenstein-Halama: The Old Catholic Church of Austria in the Third Reich and the year 1938. ( Memento of December 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 76 kB), viewed on March 11, 2011.
  14. ^ Christian Halama: Old Catholics in Austria. History and inventory . 1st edition. Böhlau, Vienna Cologne Weimar 2008, ISBN 3-205-77224-5 , p. 743 .
  15. ^ Christian Halama: Old Catholics in Austria. History and inventory . 1st edition. Böhlau, Vienna Cologne Weimar 2008, ISBN 3-205-77224-5 , p. 765 .
  16. ^ Werner Küppers: Between Rome and Utrecht. On the recent development of the relationship between the Old Catholic and Roman Catholic Church . In: Max Seckler / Otto H. Pesch / Johannes Brosseder / Wolfhart Pannenberg (eds.): Encounter. Contributions to a hermeneutics of theological conversation . Styria. Graz Vienna Cologne. 1972. ISBN 3-222-10701-7 . P. 509.
  17. ↑ Urs Küry: The Old Catholic Church. Their history, their teaching, their concerns . 3. Edition. Evangelisches Verlagswerk, Frankfurt / Main 1982, ISBN 3-7715-0190-3 , p. 421 .
  18. ^ Old Catholic Church of Salvator in District I Homepage of the Vienna District Museums, accessed on May 11, 2014
  19. ↑ Evangelical-Old Catholic Dialogue ( Memento of May 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Homepage of the World Council of Churches in Austria, accessed on May 11, 2014
  20. ^ Lexicon of the Old Catholic Church: Women , altkatholiken.at
  21. ↑ The Ecumenical Social Word Homepage Sozialwort, accessed on May 11, 2014
  22. ↑ Old Catholic Primate visits Austria homepage ORF - Österreichischer Rundfunk, accessed on May 11, 2014
  23. ^ Roman Catholic - Old Catholic Dialogue Commission met in December 2012 in Paderborn Homepage of the Archdiocese of Paderborn, accessed on April 27, 2014
  24. ^ Church and church fellowship. Report of the International Roman Catholic - Old Catholic Dialogue Commission . Bonifatius Lembeck, Paderborn Frankfurt / Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-89710-456-3 , p. 50 .
  25. ↑ Old Catholic training at the KPH Vienna ( Memento from May 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Homepage of the Ecclesiastical Pedagogical University, accessed on May 11, 2014
  26. ↑ Midday service with Bishop Okoro ( Memento from May 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), homepage of the Ecclesiastical Pedagogical University, accessed on May 11, 2014
  27. ↑ 80 years of church fellowship between Anglicans and Old Catholics Homepage ORF - Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed on May 11, 2014
  28. ↑ Metropolitan of Austria dies Homepage World Council of Churches in Austria, accessed on May 11, 2014
  29. ^ Metropolitan Staikos passed away Homepage of the Union of Utrecht, accessed on May 11, 2014
  30. ^ Long Night of the Churches ( Memento from May 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Homepage of the Evangelical Church AB, accessed on May 11, 2014
  31. ^ Address by Pope Francis to the delegation of the Old Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Union of Utrecht. Holy See Press Office, October 30, 2014, accessed February 1, 2015 .
  32. ^ Church and church fellowship. Report of the International Roman Catholic - Old Catholic Dialogue Commission . Bonifatius, Lembeck, Paderborn, Frankfurt / Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-89710-456-3 , p. 14-18 .
  33. ^ A b International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference: Working visit and private audience in Rome. International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference, November 16, 2014, accessed February 1, 2015 .
  34. ↑ International Bishops' Conference in Vienna. Old Catholic Church in Germany, June 16, 2017, accessed on June 16, 2016 .
  35. ↑ International Old Catholic Congress 2018 in Vienna. Old Catholic Church of Austria, September 30, 2018, accessed on December 1, 2018 .
  36. ^ Orf.at - Heinz Lederleiter new old Catholic bishop . Article dated October 24, 2015, accessed October 24, 2015.
  37. ^ The structure of the diocese ( memento of February 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), homepage of the Old Catholic Church of Austria, accessed on February 21, 2015
  38. ^ Diakonie Österreich: Altkatholische Diakonie , homepage of Diakonie Österreich, accessed on February 21, 2015
  39. ↑ Altkatholische Diakonie Austria , homepage of the Altkatholische Diakonie, accessed on February 21, 2015
  40. ↑ Publications ( Memento of March 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), homepage of the Old Catholic Church of Austria, accessed on April 22, 2016
  41. ↑ Vorarlberg's Old Catholics are independent as the 12th Old Catholic parish. ORF Österreichischer Rundfunk Landesstudio Vorarlberg, April 29, 2018, accessed on September 16, 2018 .

Coordinates: 48 ° 12 '57.9 "  N , 16 ° 22' 0.7"  E