ECUMENISM AND DIALOGUE
The common roots of Christianity and Judaism, as also the need to overcome any kind of religious fanaticism, were underlined by the Orthodox Metropolitan of Vienna, Michael Staikos, during the ecumenical service to mark the “Day of Judaism” on 18 January. The celebration, held in the Lutheran church of Wien-Gumpendorf, was sponsored by the Ecumenical Council of the Churches in Austria (ÖRKO). “We are all members of the same human family; we have much in common, the same objective, even if we are journeying towards it along different routes. And the objective for Jews and for Christians is none other than the restoration of the destroyed image of God in man”, said Staikos. The Metropolitan praised the decision taken by the Christian Churches to dedicate together a day to Judaism, with which “Christians are called to further reflect on the fact that they all have a common source: the love and mercy of God”. Staikos also mentioned the significance of the Charta Oecumenica , the outcome of the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz in 1997. He went on to discuss the consequences of the dialogue between Christianity and Judaism: “The vital meeting of Christians and Jews does not only help deepen mutual understanding, but is also a source of strong growth of Christian ecumenism”. Those taking part in the celebration, apart from the Metropolitan, included the Auxiliary Bishop Helmut Krätzl, the Lutheran Evangelical bishop and President of ÖRKO, Herwig Sturm, the Old Catholic bishop Bernhard Heitz, and the member of the Lutheran High Consistory Thomas Hennefeld. The Day of Judaism, now in its eighth year in Austria, was instituted by the Christian Churches to remember their common foundation, their roots in Judaism.
