Federal President Van der Bellen honors “moral authority” – thanks to churches for their commitment to society – Chalupka: badge of honor “recognition and mission”
Looking, looking at others, is a great treasure
Bischof Michael Chalupka
Vienna (OTS) – The Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Michael Chalupka was awarded the Great Golden Medal of Honor with the Star for Services to the Republic of Austria on March 14th in Vienna. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen presented the decoration of honor at a ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors at the Hofburg. The Federal President thanked “the Protestant churches and all churches and religious communities” for their commitment. The Evangelical Church lives social, educational, cultural and spiritual commitment and has a deep impact on society, said the Federal President at the celebration, which, in addition to family members of the bishop, was attended by numerous representatives of the Evangelical Churches, ecumenism and religious communities. Among those who came were the Secretary General of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Peter Schipka, the Orthodox Archpriest Alexander Lapin, Rabbi Shlomo Hofmeister and the President of the Islamic Religious Community Ümit Vural.
The Federal President described the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Michael Chalupka as a “moral authority” and thanked him for his “regular, pointed” comments on socio-political issues. Chalupka is not only committed to the Evangelical Church, but also “ensures a good climate within the religious communities”, which was most recently visible at the “Hour of Peace”. Van der Bellen also expressly thanked the extensive voluntary commitment of many church members. “What would Austria look like if this commitment did not exist in the churches?”
Bünker: Evangelical Church as a credible and reliable actor in civil society
Finally getting into action, away from tiring discussions – that is what distinguishes Michael Chalupka, in his 24 years as director of Diakonie Austria as well as as a bishop, said Chalupka’s predecessor, the former bishop Michael Bünker, in his laudatory speech. Chalupka has proven to be a reliable crisis manager during the corona pandemic. This requires “good communication and that thrives on trusting relationships”. Michael Chalupka’s communication does not concern itself with filter bubbles and echo chambers, “it makes a significant contribution to coexistence in a plural society and does something valuable for the ideologically and religiously neutral, but hopefully never indifferent constitutional state,” said Bünker. With Chalupka’s significant commitment With the agreed climate protection concept and the goal of being climate neutral by 2035, the Evangelical Church will become “credible and a reliable actor in civil society as well as a competent discussion partner in politics”.
Chalupka: Churches and religious communities guard valuable treasures for society
The Evangelical Churches see themselves “as an essential and valuable part of this country and are happy and grateful when this is recognized in such a dignified manner,” explained Bishop Michael Chalupka in his words of thanks. He accepted the badge of honor “with great gratitude for our Protestant churches” and recalled that the Protestants experienced a lot of suffering in history and were victims of persecution and expulsion. “It’s good that we and our history are recognized in this state.” The words of Federal President Rudolf Kirchschläger, who first described the Protestant Austrians as an indispensable part of the whole, will never be forgotten.
“On the other hand, we are also aware that the attitude of the Evangelical Church in the dark times of National Socialism gave more cause for shame and repentance than for honor and recognition,” confessed the bishop. Today “we are burdened with a lot of self-doubt,” the churches have fewer members, “we are often more concerned with ourselves and our future than with the contribution we make to the whole, to the well-being of the people who live here in Austria can,” says Chalupka self-critically. Nevertheless, he is firmly convinced that “the churches and all religious communities guard a treasure for society, without which we would all be poorer.”
Decoration of honor as a mission to continue to live out the message
Now in the Passion season, the Church is also focusing on the concrete suffering in this world. “Looking, looking at others, is a great treasure”
, emphasized Chalupka. This sends out an important message in a world “that constantly shows suffering, but likes to abstract it and pour misery into rationalities and columns of numbers.” Rather, it is always “about the individual, about the individual. About children, women and men who drown while fleeing in the sea, who have become victims of terrorism, who are wounded in the world’s wars and lose their lives,” also “about the children, women and men who are already under “suffer from the climate catastrophe.”
Chalupka emphasized that the message that the Evangelical Church carries and that is its mission “is stronger than the people who proclaim it. It is stronger than the institution of the church in all its trials and with all its inadequacies.” This message sees suffering, but does not allow itself to be paralyzed by it, but rather calls for repentance. Therefore, for him and for the Evangelical Churches, this badge of honor is not only a sign of thanks and recognition, “but also a mandate to continue to live the message – in word and deed, in pastoral care, worship, education and diakonia and in the cultural contribution of the churches in this country”.
Michael Chalupka, born in Graz in 1960, was ordained as a pastor in 1991. From 1991 – 1994 he was pastor and head of the education office of the Evangelical Church of Styria as well as specialist inspector for religious education at compulsory schools. From 1994 to 2018 he worked as director of Diakonie Austria, and in May 2019 he was elected bishop of the Evangelical Church AB in Austria. Michael Chalupka took office on September 1, 2019.
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