Religious Discrimination against Christian Seniors Group by Innsbruck's Social Services
A seniors group of Christians from recognised religious communities such as the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Free Churches in Austria (FKÖ) is no longer allowed to use the tax-financed community centre after several years of use. In an e-mail from ISD (Innsbrucker Soziale Dienste), the Christian seniors group was informed that "prayers, devotions, hymns of praise, Bible readings or the like" are no longer permitted in the ISD Community Centre in Wilten with immediate effect. Representatives of political parties and Tyrollean citizens are protesting against this decision accusing of violating religious freedom.
Parts of the ISDs' email to the seniors group states: "In an internal restructuring process, we evaluated the use of space, among other things, and this resulted in the new regulation: 'As a neutral city institution, we cannot accept any party political or religious groups or events. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but this means for your senior groups' afternoon that it could only take place without religious content. So no common prayers, devotions, hymns of praise, Bible readings or the like. I think therefore our room is unfortunately no longer the right choice for you."
After the Tiroler Tageszeitung (TT) and the Bezirksblatt reported on this incident of discrimination, massive criticism is not olny heard from Tyrolean citizens but also on social media, concerning this attack on religious freedom. The ban on allowing senior citizens to practice their faith in a municipal institution has also triggered a political debate in the meantime. ÖVP and Gerechtes Innsbruck strongly criticise religious discrimination.
In a press release, the ÖVP city party leader Christoph Appler of the Innsbrucker Volkspartei (ÖVP) commented on the discrimination incident in the ISD community centre Wilten:"A Christian seniors group is no longer allowed to hold their seniors groups' afternoon in the community centre of Wilten. Apparently the new, stricter rules of the management of the ISD centre, which no longer allow religious and party-political groups, prohibit the admission of this Christian group of senior citizens. This ban is completely unacceptable and must be revoked immediately. It is an inconceivable derailment that in Tyrol Christians are excluded from rooms financed by the public purse because visitors of a different faith have apparently expressed criticism of their existence". Appler further comments: "Christianity has shaped our country, our roots and our traditions are Christian. We must not sacrifice our guiding culture to a misunderstood liberalism. As it is just as wrong to turn the St. Martin's procession into a festival of lights in some kindergartens, it is just as wrong to deny a Christian-influenced group of senior citizens participation in the social centre of their district, where they and their families have lived and lived for many years over generations. Even those who we have taken in our country must adapt. The rules of the ISD management do not serve the integration, they rather divide the people in the district and cause unrest and discord, which we all do not want to have in our society".
According to the TT, also municipal councillor Gerald Depaoli (Gerechtes Innsbruck) demands a statement from Innsbruck's mayor Georg Willi (GREENS). For him, the expulsion of the pensioners is absolutely "incomprehensible" after the seniors group has been using the community centre for several years and has not disturbed anyone. Depaoli will also question the expulsion.
Pastor Andreas Eyl sought the dialogue with the management of ISD. In conversation with Eyl, the management at ISD affirmed "that Christian groups should meet in Christian event venues and churches, but not in public or semi-public spaces such as the community centre in Wilten".
Source: Glaube