Austria, Germany

Austria: the occupation of the church in Vienna has come to an end The peaceful occupation of the Votivkirche in Vienna by about sixty asylum seekers came to an end on February 3rd. After having occupied the Church for eleven weeks, the asylum seekers finally accepted the offer made to them by the archdiocese to move to a former nearby convent. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, currently in Rome for the Conclave, also joined the negotiations by phone, the Austrian Catholic Press Agency Kathpress reported. The prelate, commenting on the events, said he was thankful that reason prevailed and stressed the need "to improve the situation of refugees in Austria in a concrete and constructive way". "Much has been done – he observed – but there are still many foreign people who are afraid, desperate and who often do not receive the respect they deserve as our brothers and sisters. We should not be surprised, then, if due to their desperation and feeling of powerlessness, these people show an aggressive and often excessive behaviour". However, he continued, "confrontation and aggressiveness are of no benefit to anyone". Card. Schönborn expressed the hope that "the voluntary evacuation of the Votikkirche may lead to a constructive dialogue between the people involved and the authorities. If this is the case, the Church will fully support it". The news on the end of the occupation of the church was welcomed with positive remarks. Parish Fr Joseph Farrugia thanked the Cardinal, Episcopal Vicar Dariusz Schutzki and Caritas for their important services. "I always confided in a positive outcome, without having to resort to the police, and I prayed for this. The patience of all those involved has played an important role", he added. The director of Caritas-Vienna, Klaus Schwertner, conveyed his "relief" for the relocation of the refugees: "Caritas has always believed in a peaceful, positive solution. Their transfer represents an important step. We will continue our joint commitment to improve the situation of asylum-seekers in Austria. It is a question of showing more humaneness and stepping up the recognition of the human rights of people who are seeking protection". Adalat Khan, asylum-seekers spokesperson, thanked the parish and the priest for their patience: "After having set up our camp in the park, the church became an important place to convey our protests. We are pleased of the opportunity to voice our claims to improve the situation of refugees, and for a future for everyone in a new place, with regular housing conditions". Germany: fraternity between Christians and Jews Keeping alive the culture of memory. The appeal was voiced by Monsignor Heinrich Mussinghoff, bishop of Aachen, in Munich, upon the opening of the Week of Fraternity between Christians and Jews, celebrated in Germany for the past 61 years. "The generation of the witnesses of Nazi persecution is dying", said the bishop, president of the sub-committee of the German Bishops’ Conference for Religious Relations with the Jews. "The witnesses that are still living have aged, and in a few years they will no longer be here with us. Their death will significantly impact our culture of memory. The period of Naziism and of the Shoah will no longer be part of the shared memory with our contemporaries", continued Msgr. Mussinghoff. We must therefore understand "how the Shoah can be preserved as a part of social memory" and "the importance of this memory for the next generations". The duty to remember, that draws its origins from both Christianity and Judaism, entails the commitment to respect the dignity and rights of all individuals through the commemoration of the Shoah. "We have the primary duty to strengthen this moral bond of solidarity and counter in a determined and consistent way all attempts aimed at damaging or severing it", the bishop said, reiterating "our commitment to recognise in others the face of God". "The development of Jewish-Christian dialogue for me is one of the great signs of hope of our times", remarked Msgr. Mussinghoff. "Taking part in this dialogue and in its promotion for me is more than a religious and moral duty. It’s above all a personal joy", he concluded.