Pro Oriente

The Foundation Pro Oriente is an Austrian Council of Christian Churches, with the aim to promote relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches.

Foundation

Pro Oriente King (1905-2004) was founded in 1964 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz. Led to the creation was the Second Vatican Council, which opened the doors to the other Christian churches with his ecumenism decree " Unitatis redintegratio ". Pro Oriente has sections in Vienna (registered office: Vienna Hofburg ), Graz, Salzburg and Linz. The Foundation is funded by donations and private and public subsidies.

Activity

The Foundation works on unofficial level between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches. Its main business is research projects, conferences, symposia, theological consultations and public lectures in Austria and abroad, as well as the publication of different publications. By 2006, there were about 80 publications, which can be obtained for free or for a donation in the Vienna office.

A substantial part of the activity is the relationship structure consisting of bishops and patriarchs in invitations to Vienna and visit the various churches in the East. Over the years a network of contacts linked to the churches of the East.

The Foundation appoints Consultors and honorary members. These employees are the foundation's board of directors. With the foundation " Pro Oriente " are connected respectively were: Aram I, Michael Staikos, Alois Grill Meier, Philipp Harnoncourt, Otto Wall, Hans -Joachim Schulz, Pierre Duprey, Ernst Florian Winter, Grigorios Larentzakis, Lothar Lies, Michael Karl Prohazka Kurt Lüthi.

Christological formula

The adopted 1972 so-called "Vienna Christological formula " was found as a common interpretation of the Christology of the Council of Chalcedon of the Oriental Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church on the basis of a proposal of the Coptic Church in Vienna, is one of the most important results of the work of the Foundation.

Realignment

A crisis experienced by the Pro Oriente death of longtime leader and President Alfred Stirnemann in 1998.

Since the Vatican with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in 2004 the official dialogue with the Orthodox churches resumed, the unofficial dialogue came to an end. The Foundation is looking ever since for new priorities and orientations. The Foundation works with a similarly oriented device, the initiative of Christian Orient (ICO ), headquartered in Linz, as well as other faith-based organizations, foundations and institutions.