On April 28th at 12.30 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Sandra Szabo will present the following articles in the ORF religious magazine “Orientation” on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. on ORF 2:
Sensational: The Vatican pavilion at the Biennale
The Vatican pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale is one of the most discussed. The women’s prison on the island of Giudecca serves as the exhibition location and the concept is also unusual: artists designed the exhibition together with the female prisoners, who will also guide the visitors through the show. The Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, who has repeatedly attracted attention with works critical of the church, was able to be won over for a major work. On Sunday, Pope Francis will be the first pope ever to visit the Venice Biennale and its own pavilion. Eva Maria Kaiser shows what he can see there.
Shortage of teachers: problems in Orthodox religious education
The problems in schools caused by the large influx of refugee children do not stop at religious education. More than 20,000 students attend Orthodox religious classes in Austria. In the past two years – since Russia began its war against Ukraine – the number has increased by up to 15 percent. The result: There is a lack of Orthodox religious teachers. Metropolitan Arsenios Kardamakis, who is responsible for Orthodox religious education, does not want to speak of a crisis; after all, the increase in Orthodox students is positive. But the shortage of teachers is noticeable. Orthodox religious teachers are not only confronted with more overtime, but are also particularly challenged in terms of content. Sandra Szabo with a local inspection in Vienna’s 15th district.
Catholic dark rooms: Hans Zollner in conversation with victim advocates
Tens of thousands of cases of abuse have shaken the Roman Catholic Church worldwide in recent decades. In Austria, sexual abuse of children became public from 1995 onwards. Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër and Bishop Kurt Krenn had to resign as a result. The church began hesitantly to come to terms with the attacks, some of which had occurred many years ago. The so-called Klasnic Commission was set up in 2010 and has since paid compensation to thousands of victims. The Jesuit Hans Zollner is the world’s leading expert on the prevention of abuse and violence in the Catholic Church. This week he was in Vienna and discussed with victim protection experts what has been achieved in this area and what still needs to be done. Marus Marschalek reports.
Huge building: One hundred years of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz
The Diocese of Linz is celebrating a significant anniversary this weekend. 100 years ago, on April 29, 1924, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz was ceremoniously consecrated. The largest church in Austria in terms of area was built over a 62-year construction period. The massive neo-Gothic building, modeled on Western European cathedrals, was intended to provide space for all residents of the growing industrial city on the Danube and underline the importance of the Upper Austrian state capital. Today the question arises as to how such an oversized church building can still be used sensibly. Peter Beringer looks back on the cathedral’s eventful history and asks questions about its future.