Bishop urges church to keep its doors open

Burgenland Bishop Ägidius Zsifkovits says the church must remain open to people seeking meaning and support, ORF reports. He made the remarks in an interview with ORF Burgenland reporter Günter Welz for All Saints’ Day.

All Saints is a major feast in the Catholic Church, commemorating all saints and martyrs. In practice, it often blends with All Souls’ Day, when people remember deceased relatives and friends.

Zsifkovits described the two observances as “a lived faith” and “a pair of siblings”. Saints, he said, were people who put Jesus’ teachings into practice in everyday life. All Souls’ Day, meanwhile, is a time to remember and pray for ancestors who passed on the faith, and to give thanks for what they taught and shared.

The interview took place in the crypt of Eisenstadt’s Martinsdom cathedral, where Bishop Stephan Laszlo is buried. Laszlo, the first diocesan bishop of Eisenstadt, would have marked 90 years since his ordination as a priest and 70 years since his consecration as a bishop in 2026. He died in March 1995.

Zsifkovits said the church had experienced a sense of momentum in Laszlo’s time, but now faced a period of stagnation and change. Some changes were positive, he said, and the church must keep working through them.

He said the church should accompany people in their search for meaning, be attentive to their worries and joys, and support them with the message of the Gospel. In times of crisis, people seek stability, security, belonging and a sense of home, he said, adding that the church could help in both their search for meaning and daily lives. He also pointed to the work of Caritas.

On conflicts around the world, Zsifkovits described Pope Leo as a bridge-builder and peacemaker. He said the pope was a source of comfort because he showed that America had something else to offer.

The number of Catholics in Burgenland fell by 2,195 in 2025 compared with 2024. The province had 175,653 Catholics at the end of 2025, and 1,758 people left the church.

Zsifkovits said there were many reasons for leaving. The church had opportunities to reach people, he said, including young people through modern media. He cited the appearance of priest and DJ Padre Guilherme at the Mörbisch lakeside stage in September as one example.