A cardinal says the Church must look for the good in relationships that don’t conform to a marital ideal, citing an example of a stable gay relationship. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said in an interview with La Civilta Cattolica that the bishops at next month’s synod on the family should not take a stance Read more
A cardinal has said the synod on the family in October must not forget those who are left alone by divorce. Speaking to the National Catholic Register, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said “we have to speak about mercy and be merciful to the divorced and remarried, who often experience many sufferings and troubles”. “And Read more
An Austrian cardinal says the Church under Pope Francis will find new ways of responding to people who don’t live up to its teachings. Speaking to media at the synod on the family, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn said it is clear that the Church must reach out to those whose marriages have failed. No one must Read more
A cardinal who was tipped as a possible successor to Pope Benedict XVI has spoken of “signs” from the Holy Spirit that led to the election of Pope Francis. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, said he had personally had two “strong signs” that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was “the chosen one” in the Read more
A question mark hangs over the future of the Vatican Bank as Pope Francis is reported to be considering suggestions from two cardinals that it be closed. Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, tipped as a possible Vatican Secretary of State, told The Sunday Times that Francis would consider appeals made by Cardinals Christoph Schönborn of Vienna Read more
This column probably ought to carry a warning label: “The following piece of writing contains an apples-and-oranges comparison that may be hazardous to your intellectual health.” I’m going to compare two fights among senior churchmen, but the purpose is not to suggest they’re identical. Rather, it’s to understand what makes them different. The first term Read more
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna has challenged a group of dissident priests to renounce their “Call to Disobedience” manifesto or give up administrative posts in his archdiocese. The cardinal and the Priests’ Initiative group, formed by Father Helmut Schueller, have engaged in an intensifying war of words for several months. The priests’ group has pledged Read more
The leader of Austria’s Roman Catholic Church has faced down calls for radical change from priests and lay people, saying dialogue was useful but calls for disobedience should be challenged. “We are in talks and will remain in talks because I and the bishops are still convinced that a lot can and must be cleared up by dialogue,” Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said on Friday after a four-day meeting of bishops.
Catholic rebels in Austria have been making increasingly strident calls for “disobedience” and changes in the Church, after record numbers of Austrians deserted it last year, many of them in response to allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
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Austrian media are making the dissident priests’ call to reform something more than it is according to Michael Pruller, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Vienna. Cardinal Schonborn is however interested in working with the dissenting Austrian priests to help bring new life to Viennese parishes, Pruller said. Pruller confirmed that despite media reports to the Read more
A drive by Austrian priests to reform the rules around the ordination of women and an end to celibacy is getting widespread support. In a recent poll conduced by the Oekonsult polling institute, 71.7% of Austrians said the “priests initiative” was both “fair and reasonable”, with 64.7% saying they would sign a “call for insubordination”. The “Priests’ Read more