On the occasion of the thanksgiving festival for Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, the Catholic Family Association honored Cardinal Schönborn’s commitment to families and thanked him for his realistic family portrait.
“Even though he was not a family bishop, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn stood up for the needs of families,” says Peter Mender, President of the Catholic Family Association, about the outgoing Archbishop of Vienna. “Families and the Catholic Family Association have always found an advocate in the Archbishop when it comes to central family policy concerns.”
Family bonus: good and fair
“Will young people be able to realize their dream of a successful life with children together and in solidarity with the older generation?” he asked as chairman of the Bishops’ Conference after the National Council election in November 2017 and wanted the future government to provide answers to these and other questions about the future . When the introduction of the family bonus was decided in 2018, Schönborn welcomed this measure as a “tax relief for families, which promotes a child-friendly atmosphere and encourages young families to have more children”. Working parents make an indispensable contribution to society by raising children, which must also have a tax impact. It is therefore “good and fair” that they receive tax relief for this. “With this clear positioning, Schönborn not only supported our lobbying work, but also underlined that families are the cornerstones of our society,” says family association president Peter Mender.
Realistic understanding of family
Over the course of his term in office, Schönborn has repeatedly made it clear that he follows the ideal image of the family – parents living together with their children – but also understands other family constellations that arise – not always intentionally – over the course of a life. The “Five Attentions” written by him are groundbreaking, in which the cardinal addresses divorced Christians directly and suggests that they clarify their relationship with their former spouse, their children, their church community and their own faith before communion is received again. “Schönborn shows great openness in dealing with divorced and remarried people,” said Mender, acknowledging the cardinal’s realistic and true-to-life understanding of family. This understanding of family not only shaped the Austrian Church, but can also be found in Pope Francis’ teaching letter “Amoris Laetitia,” which emphasizes the individual responsibility of those in a second marriage and was published in April 2016.
Cardinal Schönborn undisputed that the Catholic Family Association, the largest non-partisan family organization, is needed as a strong voice for families. “It should be a matter of honor for Catholic families to become members of the Catholic Family Association,” he said in 2013 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Catholic Family Association and wished that many families who are not yet members of the association would join so that they could have a voice of families is heard even more widely in public.
Cardinal Schönborn repeatedly spoke up in domestic politics when it came to the interests of families; on cuts in the family sector as well as on the Reproductive Medicine Act and assisted suicide. “Here, as the largest non-partisan family organization, we could always be sure of the support of the bishops, especially Schönborn,” says President Peter Mender and thanks the cardinal on behalf of the Catholic Family Association for his diverse work for families in the church and society.