Growth of the Orthodox Church: Metropolitan demands more openness in Austria!

Vienna, January 10, 2025 - The Orthodox Church in Austria is growing rapidly, a trend, the Metropolitan Arsenios (Kardamakis) highlighted in an interview with the "Salzburger Nachrichten". This development is largely shaped by immigration from countries such as Ukraine, Romania, Greece and Serbia. It is estimated that between 500,000 and 600,000 Orthodoxes live in Austria. However, Arsenios criticized the lack of appreciation that the Orthodox Church experiences in Austrian society. He emphasized that his community was often seen as a second class citizen and expressed the desire for improved economic equality, especially in the tax deduction of church contributions that are only voluntary for the Orthodox Church, in contrast to other denominations.

In addition, the metropolitan spoke about the need to overcome nationalism within orthodoxy and to understand the church as a uniform community. In his explanations as part of a lecture at the Heiligenkreuz University of Applied Sciences, he drew attention to the "heresia of nationalism", which endangered the unity of the Orthodox Church. He referred to the boycott of the Panorthodox Council of Crete in 2016 by four Orthodox churches, which is considered a worrying sign of fragmentation within orthodoxy, as well as Vatican News reported.

a call for unity and peace

Arsenios expressed the deep desire for peace, not only in Ukraine, but also in other conflict regions such as Syria, Gaza and Palestine. He pointed out that Christians are often persecuted and put the message of the Orthodox Church in the context of a comprehensive peace appell. In the current challenges combined with orthodoxy, Arsenios sees the need to emphasize the similarities and to overcome church separation by focusing on the common belief and traditions.

For the future, the metropolitan wants more openness and willingness to dialogue on the part of Austrian society and emphasizes that despite dogmatic differences, there is a positive climate for ecumenical relationships in Austria. He also emphasizes that the Orthodox Church is a lively community of belief that is rooted in tradition and in folk belief, and encourages the believers to live together in a spirit of respect and unity.