“The Austrian Church will support the new Federal Government with its prayers. It will also support it, whenever feasible, with its proactive efforts”. That was stated to Kathpress today by mgr. Franz Lackner, Archbishop of Salzburg and President of the Episcopal Conference of Austria, after the installation of the new tripartite coalition of the People’s Party Övp, the Social Democrat SpÖ and the Liberal Neos, 155 days after the Federal election. The new Federal Chancellor is Christian Stocker (Övp), the Vice-Chancellor is Andreas Babler (SpÖ). Today at 11.00am the Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen welcomed the new Government members into the Hofburg. Lackner stated: “The new Government shall look after this country with wisdom and, above all, with vision, in a world in which the unimaginable is suddenly possible; in which a real, just peace looks so distant; in which things that used to be considered permanent are being surprisingly disrupted”. On behalf of the Episcopal Conference of Austria, Lackner wished the Federal Chancellor, the ministers and the Secretaries of State “a big blessing” for such big task. In his statement, published just after the oath of office, Lackner mentioned the different fields of work in which good cooperation between Church and State is important: both “in the social and charity sector through Caritas and in education for democracy, as well as in concern for peace in our own small ways, in interpersonal relationships, in parishes and in communities”. According to the Archbishop, it is important that Churches and religions take joint responsibility for the State and for society: “Christian believers should always pray for those who are in power and for those who are responsible for the State, as Paul the Apostle ordered in the past. The Church prays this prayer as much today as it did back then”. In Austria, in addition to the Catholic Church, there are another fifteen religious communities that are officially recognised in the country. Some of them have shaped the State and society, culture and traditions for centuries, while others have been just recently added. “But all of them have social responsibility for contributing to the common good, each one in its own way”, Lackner said, and “together we are called to strengthen hope and in this sense to serve the common good”.