ecumenism" "
Being “witnesses of the love of a merciful and omnipotent God” to a world that continues to be characterized by hatred and destruction: that’s the hope expressed by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, President of the Austrian Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Vienna on the occasion of a reception held in honour of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on 17 June. The atrocities of terrorism, and the situations of conflict in the Middle East and in Africa, demand said Schönborn – “the common witness and action of Christians. And for these causes we cannot wait until we have reached agreement on all questions”. Patriarch Bartholomew I praised the close relations between the archdiocese of Vienna and the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople and the “exemplary” collaboration between the 14 Churches that form part of the Ecumenical Council of Austrian Churches. In particular he recalled the realization of “Sozialwort”, an ecumenical report on social problems, which he described as a “guide for the ecumenical process” and an “important tool” also for politicians.
