Vienna (OTS) – The diverse voices of the churches, faith and religious communities in Austria are of central importance, not only in view of the current social and societal challenges. Their diversity reflects Austrian society and contributes significantly to the peaceful coexistence of all people in Austria. Yesterday, Thursday, January 11, 2024, ORF General Director Roland Weißmann invited the leaders of the 16 legally recognized churches and religious societies in Austria to an exchange of ideas in the ORF media campus, where they discussed the importance of independent religious reporting and its contribution to understanding and cohesion in the Austrian society society were particularly highlighted.
ORF General Director Roland Weißmann welcomed, among others, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Michael Chalupka, Bishop of the Evangelical Church AB, Maria Kubin, Bishop of the Old Catholic Church, Jaron Engelmayer, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Vienna, Ümit Vural, President of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria, and on behalf of others by Gerhard Weißgrab, President of the Austrian Buddhist Religious Society, its Vice President Erich Leopold. In addition to other representatives of the various Christian churches and numerous other religious communities, the event was also attended by the new Caritas President Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler, the new Evangelical Synod President Ingrid Monjencs, the ORF Info editor-in-chief Johannes Bruckenberger, Gabriele Waldner-Pammesberger, Sebastian Prokop and Inka Pieh, board member Bernhard Tschrepitsch as well as the public councilors Christoph Riedl and Martin Schenk took part.
The discussion was moderated by Barbara Krenn, head of the ORF main department “Religion and Ethics – Multimedia”, who, among other things, gave an outlook on the multimedia project “What does Austria believe?” launched in 2023 in cooperation with the University of Vienna. At the end of the project – at the end of 2024 – a representative study funded by the Austrian Future Fund should be available that will provide information about what characterizes the values and beliefs of people in Austria in view of major social developments such as secularization, pluralization and digitalization. The two study authors Regina Polak and Astrid Mattes-Zippenfenig from the Research Center “Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society” at the University of Vienna reported on the current status and planned study structure.
ORF General Director Roland Weißmann: “Our society needs critical and independent journalism in order to master the major challenges we face.”
“Faith and religion play an important role in the lives of many people in Austria and are therefore given great importance at ORF. With its 19 regular formats on radio, television and religion.ORF.at, the Religion and Ethics department has by far the largest range of religions compared to other public broadcasters in Europe. For the ORF, important decisions have been made for the future with the amendment to the ORF law. At the same time, public broadcasting is coming under increasing pressure with its critical and independent reporting – not only in Austria. Especially in times of fake news, journalism – and also religious journalism – is of enormous importance in terms of the public service mission. Our society needs journalism like this in order to master the major challenges we face. Democracy needs – even more so in these times – public discourse and strong voices that speak out. You do this again and again and your work encourages many people to take part in various discourses. Our society needs these voices and we at the ORF also need them in order to be an ORF for everyone.”
Top representatives of churches and religious communities on the importance of independent religious reporting and its contribution to understanding and cohesion in Austrian society:
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna:
“Religion touches on the essential questions of life and the depth of the human soul – and can therefore ease or inflame social tensions. The difference is whether we know something about the others, whether we have come to know and appreciate their representatives, whether we can assess their intentions and classify their actions. There must be knowledge and encounter so that trust is possible. In a time of increasing polarization, serious, calm journalism is needed more than ever, not only, but especially in the area of religions: widely received reporting that objectively informs and does not campaign. In the work of the ORF’s religion department, we repeatedly experience the desire and commitment to this type of journalism. I am grateful for that – as a Catholic bishop, but also as an Austrian citizen.”
Michael Chalupka, Bishop of the Evangelical Church AB:
“Independent and transparent reporting on religions – which can and must also be critical – such as the ORF provides, is of great value because it makes complex religious-historical and religious-political contexts transparent and comprehensible. The ORF thus provides information with a high level of competence and thus serves the democratic discourse in society. With its meaningful offerings, the ORF also offers a platform for people who live their spirituality in different ways. In this way, the ORF gives people access to spiritual celebrations, including via the medium.”
Maria Kubin, bishop of the Old Catholic Church of Austria
“Collaboration with the ORF is important to us in order to make our expertise and our concerns publicly known. Our church needs a critical and reliable partner so that our concerns for understanding and cohesion in Austrian society have a forum in which they can be presented. That’s why we welcome any reliable, independent and critical religious reporting on ORF.”
Jaron Engelmayer, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Vienna:
“Religious diversity in peaceful coexistence based on common basic values enriches society. Objective and independent reporting on religious societies and their worlds of belief provides an important basis for trust in order to provide and convey insights into them. This broadens the viewers’ cultural horizons and at the same time counters prejudices and reservations with well-founded knowledge and reliable information, which is likely to promote the reduction of social tensions and peaceful coexistence.”
Ümit Vural, President of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ):
“ORF’s reliable, independent and critical religious reporting plays a crucial role in our society, which is characterized by people with different religious and cultural backgrounds. By providing insight into diverse worlds of life and beliefs, it not only enables the discovery of commonalities across religious boundaries, but also promotes a comprehensive understanding of the diversity within our society. This approach contributes significantly to avoiding prejudices and stereotypical views. The platforms provided on which people of different religious backgrounds are represented in a common space, as well as the balanced representation of different religions, strengthen the feeling of social belonging of their followers to society as a whole and at the same time promote trust in the reporting. In addition, the presentation of different intra-religious perspectives as well as critical reporting and open discussions can contribute to self-reflection within religious communities. Overall, ORF’s religious reporting makes a significant contribution to promoting an informed and enlightened society that values diversity and respect for different faiths and cultures as an enrichment, and in this way contributes significantly to social cohesion.”
Gerhard Weißgrab, President of the Austrian Buddhist Religious Society (ÖBR):
“It is undisputed that we are increasingly experiencing complex challenges in which religions play a significant role. Far too often, social media or less qualitative journalism report on ‘religions’ without taking the often significant differences between the individual religions into account. Such detailed knowledge is a basic requirement for a responsible and democratic society and the ORF has a very big task and responsibility here.”
Barbara Krenn, head of the ORF main department “Religion and Ethics – Multimedia”:
“The churches, faith and religious communities in Austria make an important socio-political contribution in their variety and diversity. Especially when it comes to socio-political questions: questions of social justice, questions of human dignity and care, climate justice, living together in a plural society. We report on this commitment on radio, television and online and discuss different beliefs and values. The ORF religious reporting does not cover any special world. The starting point is always a secular, pluralistic society with different opinions that we bring into conversation with one another.”