Interfaith Council

The Interfaith Council for the City of Graz was established in 2006 and consists of representatives of religious communities recognised by the government.  As a consultative body it is convened by the mayor and formulates common positions on important dialogue issues concerning peaceful coexistence when needed.

The Interfaith Council has its main office at the Afro-Asian Institute Graz and Lisa Weichsler is responsible for its coordination. Meetings are taking place four times a year and when needed, their content is confidential. The members of the Council are in contact via the main office or informally with each other.

The members of the Interfaith Council are high-ranking representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, Old Catholic Church, Protestant Church, Evangelical Methodist Church, Greek Orthodox Church as well as Coptic Orthodox Church, Islamic Religious Community, Austrian Buddhist Union, Jewish Community Graz, the Bahá’í Community, Alevi Community Austria and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The Interfaith Council has a purely advisory role and is no working body. Therefore it has no statutes, by-laws, no president, no budget and no fixed agenda. The Interfaith Council plans annual community projects, e.g. an interfaith contribution to the Night of Churches, Interfaith Mountain Prayer, sporting events, network meetings, interfaith workshops and city walks, to raise awareness of religious diversity in Graz.

The aim of the Interfaith Council is to bring shared issues of the religious communities to the attention of the City of Graz as well as being an advisory, networking and mediation institution.