Christoph Schönborn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Church positions | |
|---|---|
| See | Vienna |
| Title | Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna |
| Period in office | September 14, 1995—present |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Previous post | Coadjutor Archbishop of Vienna |
| Created cardinal | February 21, 1998 |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | January 22, 1945 |
| Place of birth |  Bohemia, Czech Republic |
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP (born January 22, 1945) is an Austrian prelate of the Catholic Church and theologian. He currently serves as Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, he also has bi-ritual faculties and serves as the ordinary for Byzantine Catholics in Austria. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1998.
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[edit] Early life
Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert von Schönborn was born at Skalken castle, west of Leitmeritz, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), the second son of the Count Hugo Damian von Schönborn and Baroness Eleonore Ottilie Hilda Maria von Doblhoff. They divorced in 1959. He has two brothers and one sister. He belongs to the Central European noble family of Schönborn, several members of which held high posts in the Catholic Church.
[edit] Early church career
In September 1945, his family was forced to flee from Bohemia. Schönborn entered the Order of Preachers, and took his Matura exam in 1963. He studied theology in Paris; and philosophy and psychology in Bornheim-Walberberg and Vienna. Schönborn also attended the Catholic Institute of Paris for further theological work, before studying Slavic and Byzantine Christianity at the Sorbonne.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Franz Cardinal König on December 27, 1970 in Vienna. Fr. Schönborn obtained a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1971, and later studied in Regensburg under Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). He subsequently completed a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in Paris. From 1975 he was Professor of Dogmatics at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. In 1980, he became a member of the International Theological Commission of the Holy See, and in 1987 he became editorial secretary for the World Catechism. In 1991 he was chosen to become an Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna.
[edit] Archbishop of Vienna
He became a coadjutor of the Archbishop of Vienna on 11 April 1995 and Archbishop of Vienna on 14 September 1995.
| Styles of Christoph Cardinal Schönborn |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Vienna |
He was created Cardinal Priest with the titulus of Gesù Divin Lavoratore by Pope John Paul II in the consistory of February 21, 1998. Considered among the papabili following John Paul's death, Schönborn was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Schönborn remains eligible to vote in any future papal conclaves that begin before his 80th birthday on January 22, 2025.
Cardinal Schönborn also serves as the chaplain to the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece In addition to his native German, he is fluent in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Latin. In Austria, he is popularly known as "The Healer". Schönborn's episcopal motto is Vos autem dixi amicos (I have called you friends) from John 15:15.
[edit] Statement on evolution
In an editorial in the New York Times on 7 July 2005[1] Schönborn criticized "neo-Darwinian" theories of evolution as incompatible with Catholic teaching:
- "EVER since 1996, when Pope John Paul II said that evolution (a term he did not define) was 'more than just a hypothesis,' defenders of neo-Darwinian dogma have often invoked the supposed acceptance -- or at least acquiescence -- of the Roman Catholic Church when they defend their theory as somehow compatible with Christian faith.
- "But this is not true. The Catholic Church, while leaving to science many details about the history of life on earth, proclaims that by the light of reason the human intellect can readily and clearly discern purpose and design in the natural world, including the world of living things. Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense -- an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection -- is not. Any system of thought that denies or seeks to explain away the overwhelming evidence for design in biology is ideology, not science."
This statement unleashed considerable controversy, including public criticism of Schönborn's views by the director of the Vatican Observatory, Fr George Coyne SJ,[2] and a response by Catholic physicist Stephen Barr in the Catholic periodical "First Things",[3] to which Schönborn in turn replied.[4]
Schönborn later clarified that while "unguided, unplanned" evolution is not consistent with Christian faith [1], he has no problem with a theistic (God-guided) evolution (see theistic evolution), recognizes the great work of Darwin and the progress of science, that science and faith answer different questions, and they need not conflict if each respects the other's world view.
In an October 2005 catechetical lecture[5] he stated
- "....Darwin undoubtedly scored a brilliant coup, and it remains a great oeuvre [work] in the history of ideas. With an astounding gift for observation, enormous diligence, and mental prowess, he succeeded in producing one of that history's most influential works. He could already see in advance that his research would create many areas of endeavor. Today one can truly say that the 'evolution' paradigm has become, so to speak, a 'master key,' extending itself within many fields of knowledge....I see no difficulty in joining belief in the Creator with the theory of evolution, but under the prerequisite that the borders of scientific theory are maintained. In the citations given above (from Julian Huxley, Will Provine, Peter Atkins), it is unequivocally the case that such have been violated. When science adheres to its own method, it cannot come into conflict with faith. But perhaps one finds it difficult to stay within one's territory, for we are, after all, not simply scientists but also human beings, with feelings, who struggle with faith, human beings, who seek the meaning of life. And thus as natural scientists we are constantly and inevitably bringing in questions reflecting world views....I am thankful for the immense work of the natural sciences. Their furthering of our knowledge boggles the mind. They do not restrict faith in the creation; they strengthen me in my belief in the Creator and in how wisely and wonderfully He has made all things."
This series of Catechetical Lectures has been published as a book entitled Chance or Purpose? (Ignatius Press 2007) .
[edit] Papal visit to the Shrine of Mariazell
On the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell, on September 7, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Vienna International Airport at 11:15 a.m., where he was greeted by Austria’s President Heinz Fischer and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna.[6] The Apostolic Journey to Austria included a Marian Prayer before the Mariensäule at Am Hof Square in Vienna (September 7, 2007), a meeting with the public authorities and the Diplomatic Corps at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Holy Mass on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell, a celebration of Marian Vespers with Priests, Religious, Deacons and Seminarians at the Basilica of Mariazell, a recitation of the Angelus Domini. a visit to Heiligenkreuz Abbey. In the 3-day visit, he joined Jewish leaders to pay a silent tribute to victims of the Nazi Holocaust where the Pontiff joined Vienna's chief rabbi in a memorial to the 65,000 Viennese Jews who perished in Nazi death camps.[7]. Austria was the 7th Apostolic Journey of Pope Benedict XVI in two years. At a meeting with representatives of volunteer organizations at the Wiener Konzerthaus, to the delight of Pope Benedict, the Austrian President by mistake called Cardinal Schönborn "Cardinal Franz König".[8] A cordial farewell ceremony was held with the Cardinal and President Fischer, at the international airport of Vienna/Schwechat on September 9, 2007.
[edit] Awards and honorary degrees
In 1996, Cardinal Schönborn was awarded the F. Sadlier Dinger Award by educational publisher William H. Sadlier, Inc. in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the ministry of religious education in America.
[edit] References
- ^ Schönborn's editorial, The New York Times, 7 July 2005 "Finding Design in Nature"
- ^ "Intelligent Design belittles God, Vatican director says", Catholic Online, 30 Jan 2006
- ^ S. Barr, "The Design of Evolution", First Things, Oct 2005
- ^ C. Schönborn, "The designs of science", First Things, January 2006
- ^ C. Schönborn, "Creation and Evolution: To the Debate As It Stands", 2 October 2005 Catechetical Lecture at St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna
- ^ Vatican radio, Pope Benedict XVI Arrives in Vienna
- ^ BBC NEWS, Austria prepares to welcome Pope
- ^ ORF2, September 9, 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "The Schönborn Site"
- A critique of Schönborn on evolution by Alec MacAndrew
- Interview with Peter Schuster regarding Cardinal Schönborn's statement on evolution
- catholic-pages bio
| Preceded by Hans Hermann Groer |
Archbishop of Vienna 1995–present |
Succeeded by current incumbent |
