Katholische Kirche Steiermark: The Catholic Church in Styria opposes the latest call to further relax Sunday rest regulations in the state, following the model adopted in Vorarlberg. Since late June, grocery stores in Vorarlberg with a maximum floor area of 400 m² have been permitted to open on Sundays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. No staff may be employed; the owner must manage the shop personally. Sunday shopping has already been possible in other Austrian tourist hubs for some time.
“For many people, Sundays and public holidays are already workdays rather than times for leisure or church services. While such work is unavoidable in essential professions—and we owe a debt of gratitude to all those employees—it is highly doubtful whether Sunday shopping offers any real societal value,” stated Wilhelm Krautwaschl, the Bishop of Graz-Seckau. After all, the focus is currently on business owners, but will it soon extend to all other employees?
Work Serving the Common Good
Peter Hochegger, Executive Chairman of the Fund for Work and Education of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau, commented: “The current demand to implement the Vorarlberg model in Styria signals an attempt to gradually erode Sunday rest.” He emphasized the need to distinguish between Sunday work that serves the common good and work driven by profit.
There are tasks essential to the common good—such as those in healthcare or policing—that must be performed on Sundays and deserve our gratitude, Hochegger noted. Then there are socially valuable activities, such as those in the hospitality, cultural, and cinema sectors, which facilitate recreation for others. Finally, there is Sunday work that is purely profit-driven. “Diluting the legal regulations regarding Sundays in this profit-driven sector runs counter to the concept of Sunday as a shared day off for rest and must be firmly rejected,” says Peter Hochegger. “A Sunday largely free from work is a vital social asset,” adds Bernhard Schwarzenegger, Managing Director of the Fund for Work and Education; “a Sunday off provides time to share with family and friends, as well as time for reflection and rest.” Where this is lacking, the values that define our society are at risk, notes Bishop Wilhelm.
Sunday Off as a Gift
Andreas Gjecaj, President of Catholic Action Styria, emphasizes that Sunday “is a gift on which—with the exception of legitimate cases—no one has to work. Sunday is a day that has set the rhythm for our society for millennia, creating space for breaks, community, and celebration.” The Catholic Workers’ Movement of Styria (KAB) also clearly opposes any further liberalization of shop opening hours. KAB Chairman Heinz Zeiringer states: “Even though the group of people affected—namely shop owners—may seem relatively small, it would mean yet another group having to work on Sundays.”
Prophetic Link:
“In every country Sunday laws are coming to the front. At the present time the agitation is world-wide. Everywhere the enforcement of Sunday-keeping by law is being agitated. It is the manifestation of a rival power against Jesus Christ, and the question is for every one, To whom shall I yield my allegiance? and the mark of whose power shall I receive?” Christ and the Sabbath, 38.3