Pope is said to have criticized Cardinal Schönborn over Islam

On the subject of "Islamization", there is no contradiction between Pope Francis and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn: The spokesman of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Michael Prüller, pointed out on Saturday. The occasion for the statement was the publication of the news magazine, "profil" which, in its forthcoming issue (Monday), quotes Pope Francis as saying: "I have a different approach to Islamization from your Cardinal." This the Pope had recently said, according to "profil", to a "small group of Catholics from Austria". "It seems to me that there is a misunderstanding. What the Pope said at a private audience about Islamization coincides with Cardinal Schönborn's view," commented Schönborn’s spokesman Prüller.

According to “profil” the Pope said that he did not believe in "misunderstood tolerance", but his greatest concern was not the spread of Islam itself but the "indifferent attitude" of Catholics to their own faith. "Cardinal Schönborn could also have said this," said the dry commentary of Prüller. Either the Pope was given a distorted picture of the attitude of the Austrian bishops or the Pope had been grossly misunderstood, Prüller surmised further. "After all the, in reality, the content of the positions of the Pope and Cardinal are consistent which does not very cause great upset".

In this context, Prüller referred to the missionary spirit, which is a priority for the Cardinal. In interviews a year ago, Cardinal Schönborn said: "Europe's Christian heritage is in danger because Europeans have squandered it, and it has nothing to do with Islam or even the refugees, and it is clear that many Islamists like our weakness but they are not responsible for our weakness. We Europeans ourselves are ... The chance for a Christian renewal of Europe lies with us: when we look to Christ, spread his Gospel and deal with our fellow men, even the stranger, as if they are in our heart - in love and responsibility. " And: "We do not need to arm ourselves against other religions in Europe, but we need again a lively Christendom.

Source

Cathcon: The Archdiocese of Vienna spinning faster than Peter Mandelson