While we celebrate Easter with our loved ones, nearly 1,000 people are serving their sentences in the Vienna-Josefstadt prison. Christian Kuhn has been giving them the grace of God as a shepherd for four decades.
It was not God’s calling that led Christian Kuhn into the dark corridors of the prison. Faith had been anchored in him long before that. As a young man, the 69-year-old studied theology and was accidentally appointed as a Catholic pastor in the “Grey House” in Josefstadt. “I didn’t wake up when I was 17 and thought to myself: I want to work in prison,” he says with a laugh when he visits “Krone”.
Even Islamists seek dialogue
Meanwhile, however, he and the job behind bars have become one. When you walk past the cells with the chaplain (he is not ordained a priest, he is not allowed to administer the sacraments), you often hear friendly greetings. The inmates know Kuhn – and appreciate him. It doesn’t matter if it’s managers who have fallen hard or politicians who are in custody. Or the fanatical Islamist who also seeks dialogue.
The man of God is not interested in religion either. He does not want to be a missionary, he wants to listen to the prisoners and guide them through the difficult times. “If a pastor is open and friendly, everyone comes, be they believers or non-believers,” says Kuhn.
Chocolate, cigarettes – and a beautiful chapel
When Kuhn isn’t chatting and occasionally giving away chocolate or cigarettes, he invites people into the friendly, bright chapel in the heart of the prison. He also offered faith courses until Corona (hopefully only temporarily) thwarted their plans. Kuhn was never afraid. But all the more touching moments. He is especially touched by those who have been fired and who keep in touch.
Why such an unusual job with social outcasts at all? “The wall is not the line between good and evil,” Kuhn said. And if anyone still doubts the meaning of his work, he refers with a smile to the Bible: “Jesus came to the sinners, that is, to me also. Therefore, as a sinner, I may also visit ‘sinners’ in his name.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
