Five years after the publication of "Sozialwort", the document of the 14 Christian Churches in Austria on the social situation, it is necessary to check its effectiveness in a systematic way. "The Churches invite us to a broad critical reflection", actually declared the evangelic bishop Herwig Sturm, president of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria (ÖRKÖ), during yesterday’s press conference in Vienna. "Through Sozialwort he went on, – the Churches committed themselves, but society is also included in that commitment. Lent is the ideal period to verify one’s commitment and its effectiveness outside". First of all, the invitation was meant for the social initiatives and the ecclesial institution already involved in the Sozialwort and its carrying out. The reflections will be collected by the Catholic Social Academy and will be presented next 27 November in Vienna, during the official celebrations for the "Five Years of Ecumenical Sozialwort". The Sozialwort initiative dates back to 1999, the year in which the 14 Austrian Christian Churches decided to elaborate a common position on the challenges of social policy in Austria. The Sozialwort was elaborated by ÖRKÖ, and was published in 2003.
