Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has recognized as one of the priorities of his previous ministry at the head of the Archdiocese of Vienna the transfer of Catholic churches no longer used for worship to other Christian denominations, especially to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Beyond the specific fact, his statements reflect a certain way of addressing the profound religious transformation that Europe is experiencing: instead of focusing on the causes that have led certain temples to no longer be necessary for parish life, the emeritus archbishop emphasizes finding them a new ecclesial purpose.
In an interview granted to the magazine Information Christlicher Orient, Schönborn defended this policy naturally when commenting on the recent transfer of the Lazarist church, in Vienna’s seventh district, to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
This is the fourth temple transferred to this community in the Austrian capital: three of these transfers were carried out during his episcopate and the last under the current apostolic administrator of Vienna, Monsignor Josef Grünwidl.
«This path makes sense and has yielded good results»
Far from presenting these transfers as an exceptional measure or one imposed by circumstances, the cardinal described them as a fully assumed pastoral option.
«In other countries, churches are deconsecrated and converted into libraries, cafés, or gyms. I always wanted to avoid that path whenever possible», he stated.
Instead, he explained, he preferred to «perhaps forgo an economic benefit» to offer «Christian brothers and sisters an ecclesial home».
Schönborn also assured that this policy was not limited to the Coptic Church, but extended to other Eastern Christian communities present in Austria. «This path is sensible and successful. I hope it continues», he stated.
Half a million Eastern Christians
The emeritus archbishop recalled that around half a million Christians from the Middle East and Asia live in Austria, many of them belonging to Eastern Churches.
Facilitating these communities having temples where they could celebrate worship was, according to him, one of the objectives of his episcopal ministry.
In that context, he also framed the close relationship he has maintained for years with Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II, who again thanked the transfer of several Catholic churches to his community during a visit to Austria last May.
Schönborn also highlighted the fidelity in faith of Coptic Christians and stated that «what separates us is incomparably less than what unites us».
A pastoral response that raises questions
The cardinal’s statements draw attention not so much for the transfers themselves—which have precedents and may respond to legitimate decisions by ecclesiastical authority—but for the way he presents them.
At no point does he allude to the phenomenon of secularization, the decline in religious practice, or the loss of Catholic presence in much of Western Europe, realities that explain why some dioceses no longer occupy all temples for worship.
His reflection focuses, on the contrary, on the subsequent fate of these buildings and the convenience of them continuing to be places of Christian prayer rather than becoming properties for civil use.
From this perspective, the transfer of churches appears not as a last-resort solution, but as a pastoral policy that Schönborn himself claims as part of his legacy.
For centuries, these temples were built to proclaim the Gospel, celebrate the sacraments, and lead souls to Christ.
That today some of them are no longer «necessary» for Catholic worship constitutes, more than a patrimonial or administrative problem, a reason for examination regarding the state of faith in Europe.
Finding a dignified use for these buildings is a practical response; recovering the evangelizing fervor that gave them origin remains a much deeper challenge for the Church and its pastors.