1958: World Council of Churches in Austria

After the World Council of Churches was founded in Amsterdam in 1948 – with headquarters in Geneva – this forum for meeting and dialogue of Christian churches of different faiths was founded in Austria ten years later. Initially, the Old Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran), the Evangelical Church of the Helvetic Confession (Reformed) and the United Methodist Church had a regular exchange of ideas in a spirit of mutual respect and with due regard for religious differences. At the plenary assembly of the international umbrella organisation in New Delhi in 1961, orthodox denominations joined this ecumenical movement, thereby clearing the path for the Ethiopian, Bulgarian, Greek, Coptic, Romanian, Russian, Serbian and Syrian Orthodoxy to participate in this platform in Austria as well. Other Christian communities followed. The Anglican, the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Federation of Baptist Churches also reflect Christian diversity on the Austrian level.

Since 1970, Austrian Catholics have had an observer status; the road to full membership was then paved by the pontifical Ecumenical Directorate (1993). The Catholic Church of Austria then became an integral part of this institution in 1994.  According to its statutes, the “purpose of the World Council of Churches in Austria” is seen in the “common fulfilment of ecumenical tasks”. The council “sees its special mission in Austria as implementing ecumenical ideas, representing the council externally, and deepening community life within. […] It also promotes inter-church relations, especially through theological dialogue, exchange of experiences and in the planning and execution of the services assigned to the churches”.