Vicar shaken

Church now closed after theft

The Old Catholic Church in Ried is one of the oldest parishes in Austria.(Bild: Altkatholische Kirchengemeinde Ried)

In recent weeks and months, there have been repeated unpleasant incidents and acts of vandalism in the old Catholic church in Ried. A recent theft of the cash box for the candles has now brought things to a head. The church will now remain closed during the week for the time being.

When fellow worshippers tried to light a candle after the service in the old Catholic church in Rieder Bahnhofstraße on Sunday, they almost lost faith. The cash box for the candles had been broken into and looted. However, this was not the first act of vandalism in recent weeks and months. There have been repeated unpleasant incidents in the Christuskirche.

Cross in the altar area blocked
"There were snack papers lying around in the church, the cross in the altar area was simply moved and advertising material was distributed throughout the church," explains parish vicar Klaus Schwarzgruber, who was able to overlook all of these things. However, together with the parish council, it was decided after the latest incident that things could no longer go on like this.

Church is left holding the bag
"There were between 50 and 100 euros in the till, and the damage to property has to be paid for by the parish. Unfortunately, we are therefore forced to keep the church locked on weekdays until further notice. Even though we want to welcome everyone as an open church, we can no longer guarantee this at the moment," says the parish vicar contritely.

The Old Catholic Church in Ried is one of the oldest parishes in Austria.(Bild: Altkatholische Kirchengemeinde Ried)

Even if we want to welcome everyone as an open church, we can no longer guarantee this at the moment.

Pfarrvikar Klaus Schwarzgruber

Bild: Schwarzgruber

In any case, a complaint was filed with the police on Monday for theft and damage to property. However, the chances of the perpetrators actually being caught are very slim. It is suspected that young people may have played a bad joke on Halloween. "If anyone really has money problems, they can contact us at any time," says the priest, extending his hand to help.

Church has special significance for believers
It is not yet possible to say how long the lockdown will remain in place: "We now need a break to reflect. Video surveillance for monitoring purposes quickly comes to mind. But who is going to pay for that?" The location also has a special significance for the Old Catholics as a whole: "The Christuskirche in Ried is one of the oldest parishes in the whole of Austria. The church is more than just a place to pray, it is a place of retreat where you simply want to sit down," says the priest.

„Krone“-Kommentar

Nichts ist mehr heilig

Is nothing sacred to people anymore? After the events in the old Catholic church in Ried, this question is a legitimate one and can be answered with a confident "no".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

After all, a church should be a place of peace, silence and trust - not a crime scene for vandalism and theft. The fact that a space that is an important place of retreat for many people now has to be closed off because of such acts shows how little respect some people have for others. They are either unaware of the consequences of their actions or simply don't care.