Military Bishop Werner Freistetter on his fifth anniversary as a bishop talks about upcoming reforms in military chaplaincy, abuse, racism, the coronavirus crisis and his time as a makeshift “bridge builder” in Carinthia.
On the occasion of his fifth anniversary as Austrian military bishop, Werner Freistetter wants more funding for the armed forces and new priests for the military chaplaincy. In an extensive interview with the Catholic Press Agency, he expresses his concern about the financial resources of the Austrian Armed Forces and speaks of the “obligation to provide our soldiers with the best possible equipment and devices so that they can fulfill their tasks at home and abroad”. The Bishop described his relationship with Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner as very good. The Minister of Defense greatly appreciates the work of the military chaplaincy – “and indeed that of all churches and religious communities”. In addition to the Catholic chaplaincy, the military also has Protestant, Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish chaplaincies. Freistetter: “What you can learn in this rather small world of the armed forces is that what matters is a willingness to engage in dialog and appreciation.” Then you can also have discussions. Of course, nobody is interested in “interfering with the work of the armed forces and the care of the soldiers with religious or theological disputes or conflicts.” Moreover, existing problems can usually be traced back to different cultures and less to religion.
From the end of June 2019 to the beginning of February 2020, Freistetter presided over the conflict-ridden diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt as Apostolic Administrator. In the conflict between the interim Carinthian diocesan leadership and Bishop Alois Schwarz, he relied on dialog and talks and tried to build bridges – “at least makeshift bridges, as is often done in the army”. According to Freistetter, building makeshift bridges was also the focus in recent weeks and months when the coronavirus crisis prevented major public events from taking place. However, according to Freistetter, it was still important to many commanders of assistance missions that the military chaplains were with the soldiers. This service was greatly appreciated by the soldiers, and nothing could replace the personal support of the soldiers. Finally, the bishop also spoke about the number of personnel in the Catholic military chaplaincy, which currently comprises around 20 priests and four deacons, with a fifth to be ordained in the fall. Due to the upcoming retirements, however, many structural changes will have to be made, and Freistetter hopes that “the Austrian dioceses will be willing to provide suitable priests for pastoral care during foreign missions, for example”. The military ordinariate is responsible for around 100,000 Catholics in the environment of the Austrian Armed Forces: Recruits, professional soldiers and their families. Austria’s only categorical diocese (alongside nine territorial ones) was established in 1987.
