Father Christian Haidinger, abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Altenburg in Lower Austria, has called for a Church in which “each person would really have a place”. Speaking on 5 April, Father Haidinger underlined the need “to be open to people’s anxieties and problems, even if at times we don’t have all the answers”. “We must not be afraid of losing ourselves in the secular world. If we remain close to the main message of the Gospel – “Love each other as I loved you”, the Church can embrace everyone”. Openness to the world is also testified by the abbey’s willingness to welcome tourists: “It’s not a sin to use tourism as a source of funding for a monastery”. On the contrary: “This monastic tradition is not just for us alone. On the contrary, it is our duty to make it accessible to men and women today. The message of Jesus – added the abbot – must be transmitted in many ways. If I consider that last year alone there were 35,000 visitors to our ‘Gardens of religions’ project at Altenburg, I cannot but feel that the approach we have taken is the right one”.
