In a sign of deep gratitude, thoughtful accountability and faithful hope, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn celebrated the thanksgiving service of the Archdiocese of Vienna on Saturday in view of the approaching retirement around his 80th birthday on January 22nd. At the festive mass in the presence of the leaders of the state, churches and religions in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the cardinal in his sermon directed “a grateful look at our country, at Austria”, but also at the “deeper sources of hope” based on the biblical texts of the celebration. “Without the good, lived togetherness, I would never have been able to do my service, to actively exercise my office, from which I will soon say goodbye,” said the cardinal, looking back on his almost 30 years as Archbishop of Vienna.
Once again, the cardinal made an urgent plea for “successful social coexistence between those who have settled there and those who have joined,” which is “crucial for our future.” Referring to his personal life story as a refugee child, the cardinal said: “Having a heart for refugees is part of humanity. It can also become our destiny.” And elsewhere the Archbishop of Vienna emphasized: “Compassion is what makes a society human. Mercilessness poisons society and ourselves.” At the end of the homily, the cardinal said emphatically: “My greatest wish: mutual goodwill should never be lost, even if we have conflicts.”
Honest balance sheet
“Today I feel particularly painful the contrast between the joyful festival of thanksgiving that we are celebrating and the great farewell that so many people in our country are saying, mostly silently, from the Church; in 2023 alone there were 85,000,” said the cardinal at the beginning of his emphatically thoughtful sermon, in which he wanted to take an “honest balance.” He himself also owes an account to God for his service. Schönborn soberly diagnosed: “We are approaching widespread religious illiteracy,” but this could also be an opportunity for a new search for meaning and a discovery of faith.
Despite the numerous people leaving the church, it is still “strange” that two thirds of the population “wish that Austria would continue to be a Christian country. How is this all supposed to work together?” And Schönborn continues: What does it mean that the whole of Austria, the people of this country, rebuilt the cathedral after the war – despite general poverty – in such a quick time, almost as quickly as the whole of France, the secular country, its from the fire rebuilt the badly affected Notre Dame? What kind of hope and vitality is there?”
Good coexistence between religions
Against this background, the Archbishop of Vienna recommended a basic attitude of gratitude: “Let us give thanks that we are allowed to live in peace. It cannot be taken for granted.” In another part of the sermon he emphasized: “I am grateful that there is such good coexistence between religions in Austria. That is not a given either.” It is the fruit of constant efforts for mutual respect and appreciation. “It is also the result of extraordinarily good religious legislation.”
A recent ORF study on religion in Austria showed a “surprising and pleasing result,” said Schönborn: “a new, stronger religious interest among the young generation.” “It is not entirely surprising if we take seriously that the search for meaning and fulfillment lives in every human heart,” said the cardinal, who spoke of “discovering faith as a personal path.” The Bible tells us about this again and again, Schönborn recalled, referring to the Gospel of the day about the calling of Levi, and he could also testify based on his life story: The call of Jesus Christ, “Follow me,” has determined his life to this day. And he is convinced: “This is the inexhaustible resource from which faith proves itself new and fresh in all generations. Otherwise it would have died out long ago, frozen in its traditions and institutions, suffocated.”
“Incorrigibly hopeful”
A belief in following Jesus Christ always leads to a community, the cardinal noted. From the very beginning, the nature of the church is that it is never homogeneous, but rather encompasses very different groups. Schönborn: “In the 70 years of my conscious life in the church, I have experienced a wide range, the exciting, often tense coexistence of great differences. I have – perhaps differently than others – experienced the church as a great expanse.”
The Christian faith also includes the knowledge that “Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus did not moralize or judge. “Being able to name sin without condemning and judging is probably the deepest source of hope,” said the cardinal, and in this sense he was “incorrigibly hopeful,” also with regard to the accountability required of him before God.
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