AUSTRIA
“For a small country like Austria, the papal visit next year is a great and far from obvious act of recognition”, declared the President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn on 10 November, on the day following the end of the autumn plenary of the Austrian bishops, held in Vienna on 7-9 November. Preparations for the visit, both in terms of its contents and its organization, were at the centre of the bishops’ discussions. In view of the great event, which is awaited “with great joy”, as reported by the final statement of the plenary, the Austrian Catholic Church invites the faithful to prepare for “a common spiritual pilgrimage to Mariazell” with a novena of preparation that will last nine months and be inaugurated with a pastoral letter, whose official presentation will take place on 3 December, the first Sunday of Advent. Cardinal Schönborn reported on the working lunch held between Austrian bishops and Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer, during which the latter shared “the joy of the Church” about the Pope’s forthcoming visit to the Marian sanctuary. The cardinal also expressed gratitude for the fact “that the fruitful collaboration, based on mutual trust, between Church and State has been made manifest also on the occasion of this event”.
