Archbishop Lackner washed the feet of the homeless
religion
The church celebrations of Easter traditionally begin with the Maundy Thursday liturgy. Archbishop Franz Lackner set a special sign and washed the feet of a group of homeless Roma.
At the Maundy Thursday liturgy in the Salzburg Cathedral, a Roma family and pastoral assistants from the archdiocese represented the twelve apostles whose feet Jesus carries. “I came to Austria with my whole family, with my two daughters, my son and my wife and with my father and my mother,” says Valerica Geamenu.
Family cooked for Archbishop under bridge
Contact with the family came about because Archbishop Lackner met the group several weeks ago under a bridge in the state capital. “Back then, Valerica cooked and today it’s the return invitation,” says pastoral assistant Herbert Müller.
Biwag project with care and sleeping places
Like other homeless people, the members of the Roma family are cared for by social workers and pastoral assistants as part of the bivouac project and can sleep in church rooms in winter. The family is involved in the liturgy, one member recites the gospel in their own mother tongue. “These are poor people who have their faith. When I met under the bridge, an old man immediately prayed the Our Father to me in Romanian. That’s why I see it as a commandment of Christian charity that one also turns to them,” says Archbishop Franz Lackner.
Washing of feet as a ritual at Easter
Every year at Easter, the Archbishop invites twelve people to wash their feet. In the past two years, this ritual had to be canceled due to the pandemic. While a year ago Easter services were possible to a limited extent, two years ago no Easter services could be celebrated with believers.
“That is unforgettable and it was a real pain when we celebrated Easter in the closed church. I preached into an empty church on Easter Sunday – I don’t think anything like this has ever happened in this church,” Salzburg’s Archbishop remembers. The joy on all occasions that the Easter services will be possible in the coming days without major restrictions can also be felt among the faithful.
Peace march with a cross made of refugee boats
On Good Friday, the “open sky” campaign passed through the state capital with a wooden cross. For this purpose, a cross was made from boards from refugee boats. The campaign will thus draw attention to the situation of refugees. Several denominations take part in the ecumenical peace march.