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The Vatican extended Schönborn’s term of office indefinitely, but it will probably be over for good around his 80th birthday next January. In the past three decades, Schönborn’s church has repeatedly been accompanied by crises. Schönborn is considered cosmopolitan and intellectual in church circles. His almost bashful way of proclaiming the truths of the faith impresses even liberal critics of the Dominican, who comes from a noble family and whose family tree boasts more than a dozen bishops and cardinals. Schönborn, however, had a harder time with the critical church people. He often attacked “hot topics” hesitantly and then reacted in complicated church language.
- Also read: Cardinal Schönborn retires as Archbishop of Vienna
Armored pastoral letter
Ultimately, Schönborn came up with clear words – at least for high-ranking clerics. In the case surrounding Linz Auxiliary Bishop Gerhard Maria Wagner, who was ultimately unable to attend, it was a harsh pastoral letter from the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, of which Schönborn is chairman. Also notable was an open conversation with a former nun about abuse in the church, in which Schönborn admitted that she had become a victim herself.
After the death of John Paul II, Schönborn was at the top of the “Pope Toto”. The cardinal, who always appears elegant, is not only one of the most prominent advocates of interreligious dialogue, he has also taken up the cause of the internal renewal of Catholicism. In this regard, the French theologian Yves Congar proved to be influential for the Dominican, who entered a Westphalian monastery at the age of 18. During his doctoral studies in Paris – which he completed with honors – he introduced Schönborn to French renewal movements that were looking for a new place for the church in a secular world.
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Source: Nachrichten
