What does “Christian” mean?

“What does the word ‘Christian’ mean today?” This is the theme of the traditional symposium named after Cardinal König that was held in Vienna on March 18-19. The meeting was organized by the Cardinal König Foundation and by the Pro Orient Foundation established by the Cardinal in 1964 with the purpose of improving relations between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches in Eastern Europe. The symposium had a strong ecumenical emphasis. In fact, this year, simultaneously with the event, several churches in Vienna held a regional meeting of the Taizé Community. The meeting was attended by numerous personalities of the academic world and Church dignitaries: Frère Alois from the Taizé community, Michael Chalupka, director of Austrian Diakonie, Msgr. Helmut Krätzl, Bishop Emeritus of the archdiocese in Vienna. Salient aspects of the meeting held in the seventh anniversary of the death of Cardinal König follow.Objectives. “Do sound, common Christian benchmarks exist in contemporary societies? Could Christians, despite their deep-rooted faith, reach different conclusions? Do we know how ‘the footsteps of Christ’ are followed in every day life, in thoughts and deeds?” These are the questions addressed by this year’s symposium, “for today’s ‘average Christians'”. “Each one of us thinks he knows what it means to be ‘Christians’. But nowadays we are lacking a clear and convincing response”, to “how the secularized world sees Christians” and to “Christians’ self-perception”, states the presentation of the meeting, whose purpose, state its organizers, “is to highlight the thought and works of Franz König”, making them fruitful “at intellectual and spiritual level, and in concrete action”.Lived Christianity. The current meaning of lived Christianity is not to be learned on books, it is to be seen in people. This is what cardinal Christoph Schönborn said during the Ecumenical Vespers celebrated March 19 at the Konzilgedächtniskirche. The Archbishop of Vienna referred to the testimonies of life and faith offered by card. König and by the founder of the Taizé Community, Frère Roger, who were bound in life by profound friendship, “role models for many people, for youth and old people alike”. The Vespers co-celebrated by Cardinal Schönborn and by the Evangelical Supreme Consistory representative Hannelore Reiner represented the solemn conclusion of the symposium and of the “Faith Pilgrimage” of Taizé, attended by hundreds of young people who convened in Vienna from different parts of the Country, and from abroad.Overcoming the crisis. Heinz Nußbaumer, Vice-president of the Kardinal König Foundation, at the beginning of the symposium underlined “the profound loss of faith in the Church”. “On the part of the Church it is a priority to have a greater sense of reality and to be closer to people”, he said. Msgr. Krätzl recalled that Christian faithful are tasked with “living reconciliation and assisting the poor and the forlorn”, bearing in mind that a successful life may include failure, which is followed by a new beginning bestowed upon us by God. Kurt Scholz, member of the Klasnic Commission tasked with addressing the cases of abuse in Austria remarked, “The Church is following the right direction”. “It is the only major organization that is truly acting to this regard”, he added, criticizing the Austrian government. Scholz conveyed his reservations on the possibility of a referendum that would transform Austria in a secular country, with a stark division between Church and State realms.Combating xenophobia. Participants in the symposium highlighted the commitment against xenophobia, to ensure that society does not lack solidarity and democracy, a fundamental challenge that the Church is called to address in the near future. Pastoral theologian Regina Polak called upon the media to raise public awareness on “the many projects of civil society”, instead of focusing on negative trends. The director of the evangelical organization Diakonie Michael Chalupka, pointed out, “Austrian citizens seem to avoid an increasing number of areas in life which they view as inopportune”, such as the ban on panhandling or harsher administrative detention rules, he said. “We don’t want to see these people and therefore we deport or detain them. Christians have the moral duty to firmly combat these situations”, he cautioned. According to the director of Vienna’s homeless association “Vinzi-Rast”, “it is a question of behaving according to humane principles. Working for and with the homeless is a full-time commitment”, he said. “And it is also a major source of joy”, he concluded.