Almost 70 people – including members of the National and Federal Council and the European Parliament – took part in the march from Annaberg-Wienerbruck to Mariazell, reported the Kathpress. The first stage was covered with the Mariazellerbahn, the rest about ten kilometers to Mariazell on foot.
Club chairman August Wginger explained the motivation for this premiere that coping with the corona pandemic had also challenged parliament and the members of parliament very much. Thank you for that. Secondly, the pilgrimage is also an expression of the “request to God” for a good start to the autumn session: “We still have many challenges to overcome,” said Wginger.
Finally, the pilgrims celebrated a mass in the Mariazeller basilica, led by the Secretary General of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, Peter Schipka. In his sermon, the General Secretary – as he said – consciously renounced political statements, demands or allusions, but wanted to “continue the spiritual path that was trodden on that day in this divine service”.
“Please give full throttle”
According to the chat protocols, Shipka had been targeted by the VP in 2019. After criticizing the refugee policy of the turquoise-blue government, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz recommended that the then General Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, give the church “full throttle”. Tax concessions for religious communities should be questioned. Despite the resulting dissatisfaction, the chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, Salzburg’s Archbishop Franz Lackner, recently said that the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Federal Government was not damaged.
