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This was confirmed by the president of the episcopal conference, Franz Lackner, in a press conference on Friday. Self-imposed injunctions are already stricter than political guidelines, he said. In the first phase, a vaccine should be reserved for groups of people who need it especially.
For Catholic public services both outdoors and in closed rooms, a minimum distance of one and a half meters must currently be maintained and mouth and nose protection must be worn. Additionally, the church has agreed to postpone all baptisms, first communions, confirmations, and weddings. According to Lackner, nothing should change at this point.
“The practice of religion is a deeply existential practice for believers,” emphasized the bishops in a statement after their plenary assembly – held for the first time via videoconference – on religious freedom. “Interferences in this fundamental right, such as the suspension of public services, are so serious that they have to be very well founded in order not to be unconstitutional,” they warn.
The latest news about a promising vaccine also gives the bishops hope. But this must also be available worldwide at “reasonable prices”. Preference should also be given to people who, due to their occupational role, come into contact with infected people very frequently or who have a special need for protection when distributing the initially adjusted doses.
“Big financial losses”
The church continues to complain of the huge financial losses for the collection due to the few visitors to the church due to the pandemic. There are also cuts at Caritas, the collection of which could not be done this year, Lackner reported. However, there was no increase in the number of people leaving the church, as they were about one percent of the faithful, like every year.
Another important point in the autumn plenary meeting of the bishops was the most recent papal social encyclical “Fratelli tutti”, which also includes decisive action against the climate crisis. For the Austrian Church, this means consistently implementing efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in the dioceses, the bishops emphasize in their statement.
The Bishops’ Conference views the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in the southern Caucasus “with great concern”. In a separate statement they expressed their hope for peace in the area.
