All modernists must have prizes as they search for a New Theology of the World. Prophetic voice for the Church of Tomorrow

Salzburg: Theological Prize awarded to Paul M. Zulehner

Salzburg University Weeks lifetime achievement award presented - Laudator Csiszar: Zulehner is a prophetic voice for the church of tomorrow - Zulehner's words of thanks: "Search for a new theology of the world"

The renowned Austrian pastoral theologian Prof. Paul M. Zulehner has been awarded the Salzburg University Weeks "Theological Prize" for his lifetime achievement. Zulehner received the €5,000 prize on Wednesday evening in Salzburg. Zulehner is a "stroke of luck and an exceptional phenomenon" as both a theologian and a "theological public intellectual," according to the jury's statement, which was quoted by the University Weeks' chairman, Prof. Martin Dürnberger, at the award ceremony. Zulehner is a kind of "one-man theological think tank," according to Dürnberger, and through his academic work and media communication skills, he has become a "brand in his own right in civil society and the church."

Zulehner's work in the fields of sociology of religion, pastoral theology, and values research has "sustainably shaped and decisively advanced academic discourse in the German-speaking world," the jury continued. As an academic teacher, he has influenced generations of students – and to this day he continues to convey "witty and well-founded theological perspectives to the public." He thus represents a Christianity that is both "politically alert and spiritually mature," the jury stated.

Those present at the award ceremony included Archbishop Franz Lackner, Abbot Theodor Hausmann (St. Stephen's Abbey), Abbot Johannes Perkmann (Michaelbeuern Abbey), Archabbot Jakob Auer (St. Peter's Archabbey), Korbinian Birnbacher, the former Archabbot of St. Peter's and Chairman of the Austrian Conference of Religious Orders, Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Lohmann of Münster, and representatives from politics and society. This year's award was sponsored by Schäftlarn Abbey.

Csiszar: Prophetic voice for the Church of Tomorrow

In her laudatory speech, Linz pastoral theologian Prof. Klara A. Csiszar praised the award winner as a "prophetic voice for the Church of tomorrow" and "one of the greatest pastoral theologians of the 20th century." For decades, Zulehner has left a deep mark on academia, the church, and the lives of countless people, and is "a seismological early warning sensor for the shocks and hopes of our staggering world—and at the same time one of its unwavering encouragers." His life's work is therefore "a legacy to a church that does not isolate itself, but rather sees itself as a community on the move—open, dialogic, willing to learn, and profoundly human."

The Linz theologian reported that she experienced Zulehner as a committed and always approachable teacher and encourager, as well as a bridge-builder between disciplines. He contributed to putting pastoral theology on a new footing in German-speaking countries—for example, by opening it up to empiricism and social research, to sociology and values research, by always not only describing pastoral practice but also reflecting it theologically—and by deriving concrete impulses for church reform from it. "He remains convinced that change, conversation, discourse, and even conflict, must be part of the church's DNA if it is to remain relevant, humane, and in accordance with the gospel in our time."

Zulehner: "Search for a New Theology of the World"

In his words of thanks, Zulehner emphasized that, despite all the drama of a "tumbling world," there is no reason for Christians to sink into hopelessness and apathy. The world needs "resources of hope" – a task also for the Christian churches, which, however, are currently too absorbed in structural processes instead of advancing the urgently needed "search for a theology of the world today," Zulehner warned. The tumbling of the world is "a call to urgency, to urgently required, decisive action. And this in the interplay of the best minds in art, culture, science, and politics."

Indeed, the theologian was convinced that God's work can also be seen in today's world: "The work of the Spirit is evident in the widespread longing of so many people for peace, for justice, for a world where one can drink the water and breathe the air without causing harm." God's work is also evident "in so many people who, both personally and politically, are committed today to peace, the preservation of creation, and justice." In this way, Christians become "gifts from heaven" and "midwives of hope" for the world.

Zulehner concluded: "This is precisely where I see the contribution of Christians in today's staggering world: that heaven comes to earth. At least in traces, I humbly add. Gifts from heaven for a staggering world. A more heavenly world is a more humane world."

Biographical Notes

Prof. Zulehner was born in Vienna in 1939. He studied philosophy, Catholic theology, and the sociology of religion in Innsbruck, Vienna, Constance, and Munich. He received his doctorate in philosophy in 1961 and in theology in 1965. He was ordained a priest in Vienna in 1964. In 1973, he completed his habilitation in pastoral theology and pastoral sociology in Würzburg. He then taught in Bamberg, Passau, Bonn, Salzburg, and finally, from 1984 to 2008, in Vienna.

Zulehner became professor emeritus in 2009. Since then, however, he has maintained an unbroken presence as an analyzer and commentator on the religious landscape of Austria and Europe, as well as a commentator and "media face" of the Catholic Church in Austria. His publication list, dating back to 1959, includes more than 100 monographs, around 60 books, and approximately 750 articles. In 1991, together with Cardinal Franz König, he founded the "Pastoral Forum" for the promotion of the churches in Eastern (Central) Europe and, among other things, established a scholarship program with over 135 doctoral and postdoctoral candidates to date.

Zulehner is, among other things, a member of the European Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, an honorary doctorate from the universities of Erfurt and Cluj (Romania), and the recipient of the Horst Dähn Prize for Eastern European Studies and the Grand Innitzer Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2023).

This year's University Weeks focus on "What makes us live..."

Until August 10, the Salzburg University Weeks invite you to lectures, workshops, and discussions under the general theme "What makes us live... and what (perhaps) poisons us." 

Cathcon: The theme reveals what they really think of the Church.....

The University Weeks are the oldest summer university in the German-speaking world and attract around 1,000 participants each year. This year's speakers include sociologist of religion Hans Joas (Berlin), pastoral theologian Ute Leimgruber (Regensburg), psychologist Tuulia Ortner (Salzburg), media ethicist Claudia Paganini (Innsbruck), historian Ewald Frie (Tübingen), and political scientist Tine Stein (Göttingen).

The keynote address at the conclusion of the University Week on August 10 will be given by German politician Armin Laschet. The new abbot of Kremsmünster Abbey, Bernhard Eckerstorfer, will deliver the sermon at the service held beforehand in Salzburg Cathedral.

Source

Cathcon:  If this man is media face of the Church in Austria, it says something about the Austrian Church.  Father Zulehner's significant contributions detailed in many Cathcon stories.