Around 40,000 Protestants mark Reformation Day in Carinthia

About 40,000 Protestants in Carinthia are marking Reformation Day on Saturday, with church services drawing worshippers, ORF reports. Protestants are the region’s second-largest religious community, after Catholics.

The day commemorates the start of the Reformation. According to tradition, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses challenging the Catholic Church on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517, although whether this happened is disputed. His ideas led unintentionally to the founding of a new religious community.

Superintendent Andrea Mattioli said the day reminds Protestants of the freedom to answer to God and to hold their own beliefs, as well as the responsibility that comes with that freedom. Celebrations are generally simple, she said, usually involving a church service, the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and a psalm.

Although 915 people in Carinthia left the Protestant Church last year, 158 more than in 2022, Mattioli said Reformation Day services remain well attended. She attributed the departures to demographic change and a broader estrangement from religion, while saying the day can prompt people to take pride in their Protestant identity and gather for worship.

Since 2019, Protestants have been able to take a personal holiday to mark the day. Mattioli said this is uncommon, with many placing greater importance on Good Friday. She said she hopes Good Friday will once again become a statutory public holiday; it lost that status in 2019.