Diocese of Graz-Seckau

9 priests from Africa help out in Styria

Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl opened the "Haus Wilhelm".

(Bild: Kath. Kirche Steiermark)

Styrian Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl visited Rwanda and Burundi, where projects are being financed with local donations. His impressions of the trip to East Africa.

Rwanda and Burundi: two countries in the global South that are usually only noticed in Europe when acts of war or genocide claim countless lives and trigger waves of refugees.

True to the Pope's motto that the Church must also go to the "margins" and focus its attention on need and misery, the Styrian diocesan bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl recently traveled to the two East African countries. In order to see on site which projects are being implemented with local (donated) money - the diocese of Graz-Seckau uses four percent of its annual budget for development aid: "We are financing the construction of schools, orphanages, churches and a reconciliation center," reports Krautwaschl, namesake of "Haus Wilhelm", a facility for widows and orphaned children in Rwanda. "The challenges for Christians are enormous, colonization has left its mark."

Bishops Krautwaschl and Freistetter.

(Bild: Sonntagsblatt/Gerd Neuhold)

 Added to this, as military bishop Werner Freistetter adds, are the social effects of the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. All of this leads to poverty, social tensions and political upheaval. "But faith gives people hope," says the Styrian head shepherd. Houses of worship are filled to capacity, the church is young and growing steadily. The priests, who only receive a salary of 60 euros per month, are an important part of society: "They are not aloof and that is why they are so popular," says Krautwaschl.

And what else can our church learn from Africa, Bishop? "That the Gospel is alive. And that reconciliation is possible, no matter in which areas!"

In gratitude for the help, nine priests from Rwanda and Burundi are currently supporting the Graz-Seckau diocese in pastoral care.