Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is visiting Austria (until 16 March), primarily to receive the prize named after Cardinal König. The event was recently presented during a press conference in Vienna by Orthodox Metropolitan Michael Staikos, who recalled the “close link” between Cardinal Franz König and the ecumenical patriarchate. Staikos recalled, in particular, the cardinal’s meeting in 1961 with the then Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, and the close bond of friendship between the late Archbishop of Vienna and Bartholomew I. The prize, sponsored by the Foundation “Communio et Progressio”, was presented to Patriarch Bartholomew I by the Right Rev. Egon Kapellari, President of the Foundation, on 13 March. The presentation ceremony was held in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and preceded by a common celebration with Austrian bishops, presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, President of the Bishops’ Conference, in commemoration of the third anniversary of Cardinal König’s death. During his visit to Austria, the Patriarch has been able to meet all the country’s Orthodox bishops, priests and faithful: a common service was celebrated in the Serb Orthodox church of St. Sava in Vienna on 12 March. The programme of Bartholomew’s visit also comprises a pilgrimage to the Marian sanctuary at Mariazell: as emphasized by Metropolitan Staikos during the press conference, the veneration of the Mother of God profoundly unites the divided Christian Churches. It could even be said the Patriarch’s visit marks a first culmination of the celebrations marking the 850th anniversary of Mariazell. The great final event and culmination will be the visit of Benedict XVI to the sanctuary on 8 September. In this regard Metropolitan Staikos quoted the statement of the superior of Mariazell, Father Karl Schauer, who said that “the visit of the Patriarch is of particular significance, since Mariazell is increasingly becoming a bridge between East and West, with further emphasis being placed on the ecumenical aspects, just as in the tradition and in line with the commitment of Cardinal König”. The citation of the award of the Prize to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I declares that the Foundation wished to “pay homage to a personality of international stature, who has been able in an impressive way to give important impulses to Christian ecumenism and to peace between the religions in Europe, as also exemplary witness in the ecological field for the conservation of the creation”. At the same time, the award of the prize to Bartholomew I should be understood as “sign of gratitude for the indefatigable work of the Patriarch of Constantinople, whose importance and whose commitment to reconciliation, justice and peace within Orthodoxy and within Christianity as a whole were expressly recognized during Benedict XVI’s recent visit to Istanbul”.
