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Archbishop of Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P. has made great strides in healing the rift between Austria and Rome

    Our one-hundred-eighteenth red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is the 54 year-old youthful prelate Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P., Archbishop of Vienna since 1995 and the man who is considered the miracle worker in preventing an all-out schism in Austria. Some believe there will be more fireworks for this young Dominican is being groomed for higher things inside the Vatican. He received his red-hat and elevation to the cardinalate from Pope John Paul II in the Holy Father's most recent Consistory of February 21, 1998. For more on Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P., click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION

118.   Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P.

    He is called the "healer." That would be Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the Austrian Dominican who has sought to soothe a growing schism in his homeland from the fallout and fall of the previous Archbishop of Vienna Cardinal Hans Herman Groer, the Benedictine prelate whose career ended in shame because of homosexual tendencies and child abuse. The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Schonborn, one of the youngest bishops, immediately upon Groer's retirement and it has been an uphill battle for the young Schonborn whose temperament and personality are warm and inviting. Through this determination and caring manner, he has broken down walls that have risen in light of Austrian modernism and the hierarchy's failure there to live up to the ideals of the Church.

    He was born in Skalsko, Bohemia on January 22, 1945 and his parents fled to Austria when he was only nine months old. At the age of 18 young Christoph entered the Dominican Order and seven years later was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers in 1970. After more studies and pastoral work he became a student pastor in Graz University in 1973 for two years until he was promoted to associate professor of Dogma at the University of Fribourg in 1976, then Professor of Theology a year later and in 1981 he became Professor for Dogmatic Theology at the same institution until 1991. In 1980 he was appointed a member of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue Commission of Switzerland for seven years as well as a member of the foundation "Pro Oriente" in 1984. In 1987 he was appointed Secretary for the Draft-Commission of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, a position he held until 1992.

    On September 29, 1991 Pope John Paul II made him Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna. He was promoted to Co-Adjutor Bishop of Vienna on April 13, 1995 and five months later on September 14, 1995 he was named the acting Archbishop of Vienna. He was further honored by His Holiness when he was elevated to the cardinalate during the most recent Consistory of February 21, 1998, receiving the titular church of Jesus the Divine Worker. He enjoys curial membership in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Oriental Churches as well as the Pontifical Council for Culture. There are some prognostics who believe Cardinal Schonborn is being groomed quite possibly to take over in three or four years as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a very important curial position now held by the esteemed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. At 54 he is one of the youngest of the cardinals and is quite favored by the Holy Father and in the same line of thinking as Cardinal Ratzinger and John Paul II. There already is mounting a struggle between the people of Austria and the Holy See for the people love him dearly and it is because of him there was not an all-out schism there. Yet the Vatican sees this bright young prelate as a force in the new millennium for the universal Church. It will be interesting to see what develops for some are even touting him as papal material. Only God knows what is in store for this loyal son of the Church.

Appreciating the Church's vigiliance against Heresy and Schism

    We continue our new daily series in uncovering the great treasuries of the Church contained in her Deposit of Faith. Today, we feature, the Church's vigilance against Heresy and Schism, something that has hounded followers of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church since its inception. For the forty-fourth installment, click on APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH

THE CHURCH'S VIGILANCE AGAINST SCHISM AND HERESY

    Our Lord said: "Everyone therefore who hears these My words and acts upon them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house on rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, because it was founded on rock. And everyone who hears these My words and does not act upon them, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house on sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and was utterly ruined" (Matthew 7:24-27). Non-Catholic churches are the "house upon sand"; they rise up and fall. The Catholic Church is the "house upon rock." It will last forever.

    Schism is the refusal to submit to the authority of the Pope; heresy is the formal denial or doubt by a baptized person of any revealed truth of the Catholic Faith.

    Apostasy is the total rejection of his Faith by a baptized Christian. With heresy and schism, and supported by persecution, it has caused divisions in the True Church, and the rise of other churches.

    Jesus Christ predicted divisions in the Church, and the rise of other churches. From the time of the Apostles new denominations have sprung up, and have divided and subdivided, to form other denominations. With other churches that are non-Christian, the Christian denominations have opposed the Apostolic Church. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray; if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24).

    After some time, separated as it is from the authority of the Pope, a schismatical church is led into errors in doctrine. Today schismatical churches deny the infallibility of the Pope. Of the numerous schisms and heresies, the following are a few of the major ones from the first millennium:

   

• Arius was a priest of Alexandria who taught that Jesus Christ was not God. The heresy of Arius spread rapidly, and was supported by the Roman emperors. He was condemned by the First General Council of the Church, at Nicea, in the year 325; the Council declared the divinity of Christ. In a few centuries the Arian sect was divided and swept away by other errors. Today we know Arius only by name; he has passed on, but the Church he fought still lives, upholding Christ's divinity.

• Another heretic of the early days was Macedonius, who denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost. His theories were condemned by the Council of Constantinople in the year 381.

• In the fifth century Pelagius denied original sin, and declared grace not necessary for salvation. The doctrines were condemned by the synods of Milevi and Carthage, and the decision ratified by the Pope.

• Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, in the fifth century taught the doctrine that Jesus Christ was two persons: a man and God the Son; only the man Jesus was born of Mary and died on the cross. Hence, the Nestorians rejected the title "Mother of God" for the Blessed Virgin. In the year 431 the Third Council of Ephesus condemned the heresies.

• As a form of extreme reaction from Mestorianism, the Monophysites held that Jesus Christ had only one nature, His divinity totally engulfing his humanity. Dioscoros, Patriarch of Alexandria, was the chief propagator of the heresy, which was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon in 451. In an effort to call back the Monophysites to the Church, the heresy of Monothelitism arose. The chief doctrine was the Christ had a single will; the heresy was condemned by the Council of Constantinople in 681.

• In the year 727, the Greek emperor Leo forbade all veneration to images on the ground that such veneration was idolatry. The heresy spread, and mobs entered churches to break images, to burn and destroy priceless works of art. Great harm was done to the people and their faith, before this heresy, called Iconoclasm (image-breaking), died out. The Council of Nicea in 787 defined the true doctrine of the Church.

Tomorrow: Schism and Heresy part two

    Today we commemorate the Thirty-first Wednesday in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Saint Martin de Porres, religious and missionary while tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and vignettes on these feasts, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Wednesday, November 3, 1998

Wednesday November 3:
Thirty-first Wednesday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Martin de Porres, Religious

Green or white vestments

First Reading: Romans 13: 8-10
Psalms: Psalm 112: 1-2, 4-5, 9
Gospel Reading: Luke 14: 25-33

   Born on November 9, 1579 in Lima, Peru Saint Martin de Porres was brought into this world illegitimately by a black unmarried Panamanian slave woman Anna who had been impregnated by Spanish landowner John de Porres. Martin would not let his illegitimate birth deter him from following God's Will, which was to become a Dominican lay brother at the Rosary Convent in Lima in 1603. There, where he had first entered in 1594 at the age of 15, he became a contemporary and close friend of Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Turibius, Saint John Macias, and Saint Francis Solano. His mother had made sure Martin had a firm rooting in Catholicism and had hoped he would become a pharmacist or a surgeon, but his concern and love for the poor beckoned him to forego that career in favor of caring for hundreds of thousands of sick and black slaves who were brought to Lima in chains. His reputation as a holy man, healer and mystic, as well as his tremendous efforts in helping the downtrodden made him legend in Lima and throughout South America. He was gifted with the supernatural gifts of bilocation and aerial flights and had knock-down fights literally with the devil, but he would never give in. He gained his strength from spending all his free time before the Blessed Sacrament just as another holy person did during this century as the "Saint of the Gutters" - Mother Teresa. At the age of 60, Martin contracted the fatal fever and died at the Dominican's Rosary Convent on November 3, 1639. His death was mourned throughout the land as the patron of social justice. His deeds were officially recognized in 1962, when Pope John Paul XXIII declared Blessed Martin the charitable a saint, proclaiming him patron saint of interracial justice.

Thursday November 4:
Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

White vestments

First Reading: Romans 14: 7-12
Psalms: Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14
Gospel Reading: Luke 15: 1-10

Holy Father hails historic agreement of Augsburg as "an event of great importance" that will lead to "unity and communion among Christians."

    His Holiness Pope John Paul II announced during his Angelus Sunday his great joy at the joint signing of the agreement between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church that brings the two Faiths so much closer. The pact was signed 482 years to the day that the Augustinian monk Martin Luther bolted the Church when he posted the 95 theses on the door at Augsburg. Because of the importance of this concordat, we also bring you more details in the second story below. For more, click on Pope salutes historic Augsburg accord.

    VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- At his Sunday Angelus audience on October 31, Pope John Paul II pointed to the signing of a Catholic-Lutheran agreement as "an event of great importance," and a step toward "unity and communion among Christians."

    The Pope was alluding to the formal signing, in Augsburg, of an agreement between the Holy See and the World Lutheran Federation, on the subject of justification. The accord was signed, he observed, "in the same city where, in 1530, the Augsburg Confession wrote a decisive page in the Lutheran Reformation." The new document, the Holy Father said, lays the groundwork for further ecumenical advances, by establishing a common understanding on one of the most hotly disputed theological points that has divided Catholics and Lutherans.

    Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, led a Vatican delegation to Augsburg for the ceremony. The cardinal urged all Christians to redouble their efforts to promote Church unity. He added: "Unfortunately, we also have the duty to begin work to repair the damages inflicted on the building by the storms, conflicts, and sometimes even earthquakes caused by men."

    The greatest task facing all Christians, the Australian-born prelate continued, is to spread the word of the Gospel around the world. "Our divisions are a great obstacle to that task," he observed. But the new Catholic-Lutheran accord, he said, could "give new life and new hope to the ecumenical movement as a whole."

    In a separate development on the ecumenical front, a Vatican delegation headed by Cardinal Cassidy and Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, the prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, will soon visit Armenia to greet the new leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and to sign an accord strengthening ties between that church and the Holy See. The election of a new Armenian leader, or Catholicos, was delayed because of the terrorist attack on the Armenian national parliament last week.

Walls of misunderstanding and division come tumbling down with historic pact signed by Catholics and Lutherans on Reformation Day: one small step for man, one giant leap for faith and unity!

    It has been 482 agonizing years where hundreds of thousands of Catholics and Protestants were killed in the name of Faith and, as we near the third millennium, the Holy Father's call for reconciliation and unity is coming closer to reality as the Holy See, represented by Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, President for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and Bishop Hans Christian Knuth, head of the Reformation in Germany for the Lutheran Church signed a historic pact which brings the two religions closer to unity by agreeing on the common premise of the Doctrine of Justification and salvation through Jesus, something both Churches have long agreed to but the nomenclature, emphasis and perception have kept them apart for so long. Now, through ecumenical dialogue a breakthrough signals hope for unity. For more, click on Doctrine of Justification.

    VATICAN CITY, NOV 2 (ZENIT).- An historic step was taken on October 31, in the progress of the ecumenical dialogue, when a Joint Declaration was signed on the Doctrine of Justification by the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation, in the German city of Augsburg.

    This event was described by John Paul II as a "consoling sign" on the eve of the Jubilee of the Year 2000, and as "a corner stone on the complex road to the reconstruction of full unity among Christians."

    Hundreds of guests from all over the world participated in the ceremony, along with Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Bishop Christian Krause, president of the World Lutheran Federation. The German media consider the event as a decisive change for relations between Catholics and Protestants. The change comes almost 500 years after the Reformation instigated by Martin Luther, with his famous 95 theses nailed to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.

    Cardinal Cassidy pointed out the significance of this ecumenical step, during an interview on Vatican Radio, in which he explained that it "touches on one of the most important questions at the time of the Reformation. It could be said that it was a central issue in the situation that caused the division of the Western Church. Now, we and the Lutherans from all over the world, have been able to find a formula to express the same faith in the fundamental truth of justification, although we put the accent on different aspects."

    The Australian Cardinal believes that the agreement closes a wound that was opened almost five centuries ago, "as this division, which goes back to the time of Luther, caused the condemnations by the Catholic Church, as well as the Lutheran condemnations of Catholics. Today the document states clearly that those condemnations of the past are no longer applicable."

    The Joint Declaration is also very important because it addresses the very matter of man's salvation.

    "It is very profound," Cardinal Cassidy continued, "because -- above all, it is concerned with salvation, which comes from Our Lord Jesus Christ; the new life, which we are called to live thanks to Baptism; justification, as in Baptism a new life begins that leads us to sanctity and eternal life. I would say that it is more a spiritual question than a theological one. This act of salvation is both divine -- as it is Jesus Christ who saves us -- and human, as we must collaborate with grace. The Lord gives us the grace to collaborate with grace."

    Although it has taken a giant step, communion with Lutherans is still far from complete. There are very important matters still pending, such as the sacraments, for example.

    "This fundamental point opens the door to the coming century. The Holy Father has requested that, in view of the preparation for the Jubilee, initiatives be promoted that will unite Christians even more. We have not arrived at the end of the road. There are many questions that remain to be resolved. In a few words: we must continue to work, as the Pope has said: 'It is a long and difficult road, but full of joy,' " the Cardinal concluded. ZE99110202

    Meanwhile in Berlin the leader of the German Evangelical-Lutheran Church, the principal representation of the Reformation in Germany, Bishop Hans Christian Knuth, 59, said, "It has been an historic step, without which, further steps could not be taken in the future. We have found common formulations precisely on a point that caused the schism five centuries ago: this is great news."

    Bishop Knuth, who is also the highest representative of the General Synod of the Lutheran Episcopal Conference, and of the German section of the World Lutheran League, is responsible for relations with Catholics and, therefore, knows from within the long negotiations with the Holy See to arrive at this step of mutual agreement.

    "Of course a process of this nature, cannot take place without frictions, without problems. It is somewhat similar to politics: when the matter is serious, everyone gets nervous. And, undoubtedly, following the Vatican note of June 25, 1998, we thought the whole process was in difficulty. Later, however, and all of a sudden, the substantial change came. I believe, that in the midst of human give and take, and of the nebulousness of diplomacy, the Holy Spirit wanted to give a signal," Knuth told the Italian newspaper "Avvenire."

    According to the Lutheran leader, the decisive step was also taken for a very simple reason: in this long process, the two churches have come to know one another better. Old stereotypes have fallen away. "Undoubtedly, it is clear that a better perception of the other -- both in the personal as well as the theological aspects -- has been of great help. Moreover, ... it is an important fact that we faced a common front: the pressure of secularization, on one hand, and the new religions, on the other. This has led us to concentrate on what unites us, and not on what separates us."

    There are those who believe that these agreements between experts in theology and those responsible in the churches leaves the normal faithful indifferent. Knuth disagrees. "No. On the contrary, I would rather say that everyone now ask us what the consequences of this Declaration will be."

    And what are the Lutheran expectations? "We would like an end to the scandal that Christians must separate precisely at the moment when they approach the Table of the Lord. From our side, we have already sent out an invitation. What's more, we say we are not issuing the invitation, but the resurrected Christ is. We would like the Catholic Church to do the same."

    The Lutheran Bishop feels that "precisely because it is clear that it is a long road, the theological commissions have developed the necessary preparatory work for the next steps. The Declaration on Justification is the balance of a long process that was later officially confirmed by the respective hierarchies; at present, the same should be done with the other aspects, that is, to go over all that has been elaborated by the commissions to see if a consensus can be reached. I repeat, the work is already done."

    Regarding the wounds of the past, Bishop Knuth said "the Declaration states clearly that our Synods are recognized as organs of ecclesial guidance. For us, however, a further step cannot be ignored: it must be stated clearly that it is about the Church, not simply about religious communities." ZE99110205

Archbishop Belo celebrates with East Timor the Feast of Fatima

    Archbishop Carlos Ximenes Belo celebrated Mass in Dili following a procession in which the East Timorites carried a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in thanksgiving for the last Indonesian soldier leaving their land. The archbishop publicly thanked the Virgin for saving his flock from further destruction and for providing hope for the people of East Timor in the face of tremendous hardships and reconstruction. He also took the occasion to thank the international community for coming to the aid of East Timor and restoring peace, especially the Australian peacekeepers. For more, click on East Timor turns to thankful prayer.

    ROME, 2 (NE) A group of faithful in East Timor commemorated last Sunday the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, with a procession that began some hours after the last Indonesian troops left the oriental part of the island. The Marian feast, which is celebrated in many parts of the world on October 13, could not be celebrated in East Timor on that date due to the lack of security and had to be postponed.

    The Apostolic Administrator of Dili, Bishop Carlos Belo, thanked during the celebration for the horizon of hope that opens for the people of East Timor. Before and image of the Virgin of Fatima, he thanked the international community for its support, which prevented a total massacre of the people by pro Indonesian militias.

    The Prelate praised as well the effort that the peace forces stationed in East Timor are accomplishing. He stated that this is an example that armies can also serve "to construct," as well as for "solidarity, humanity and justice."

Iraq moves to resurrect Papal Plans for historic "Jubilee Journey," assures Vatican no political pressure will be applied

    Less than a week after the Vatican announced plans to postpone the Holy Father's trip to Ur in Iraq because of problems with politics and the Iraqi government, the Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan, second in command to Saddam Hussein, is doing all he can to rectify damage control, issuing a statement that the Iraqi regime will assure the Pope that his visit will be free of any political inference or interference at all and encouraged the Holy See to go forth with plans for Pope John Paul II to trace the footsteps of Abraham at his birthplace in Ur south of Bagdad. For more, click on Iraq anxious to have Pope now

   BAGHDAD, NOV 2 (ZENIT).- On November 1, Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan gave assurances that his country would be pleased to welcome John Paul II and that the papal visit will not be manipulated for political ends, but be respected as a religious pilgrimage.

   "The visit is something normal. Iraq welcomes everyone who comes to visit," the Vice-President said to the local press, while visiting a commercial fair in Baghdad. Yassin Ramadan said that his country is not looking for political profit from the visit.

   John Paul II hopes to go on pilgrimage to various original sites of Revelation. In a letter published on June 29, the Holy Father confirmed his intention to visit Ur of the Chaldeans, Abraham's birthplace, considered the Father in faith of believers of the three monotheist religions.

   However, in the document the Pope states that his tour of the places of the Old and New Testament has a strictly spiritual character. Consequently, he wants to avoid any political interpretation or manipulation of his visit.

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November 3, 1999 volume 10, no. 208  DAILY CATHOLIC