Comment: Medjugorje: Francis follows with great interest everything concerning Medjugorje
News about Cardinal Schönborn:
Cardinal Schönborn embraces homosexuality
Cardinal Schönborn’s leniency towards a gay [sic] church member
The latest decision of Cardinal Schönborn, who opened a parish council to one living in a public homosexual partnership, has brought forward the way the Catholic Church needs to address the problem of homosexuality.
I. The facts
Cardinal Schönborn is again on the news regarding his call on the Church to "give more consideration to the quality" of homosexual relationships. In 2006 his Vienna Cathedral saw the blessing given to unmarried couples on Valentine’s day, including homosexual partners. Fr. Faber, the rector of St. Stephan’s cathedral, expressed his regret that: "Today there is no possibility in the Church to bless a union of people with homosexual feelings." The priest explicitly welcomed "people with homosexual inclinations to receive a blessing for their longing for love."
This attitude of the Cardinal of Vienna shows problems on two accounts.
On the subject of homosexuality, he has allowed several times declarations and gestures giving approval to unrepentant public sinners, which can only be interpreted as encouraging the deviant behavior. Also, for a Prince of the Church to be favorable to civil legislative protection to gay partnership is to give rights to error and vice, and it is a slap on the face of those faithful to proper ecclesiastical and civil laws of marriage.
On the subject of teaching authority, first of all, there is at the grassroots the revolutionary attitude of the laymen who, in case their plea was not granted, were prepared to take action against their local priest who was simply applying Church law. Then, there is the contradictory statement from the Archdiocese, firstly supporting its priest and Church law and then going for his opponent against its priest and Church law. Lastly, we have a cardinal who is squarely contradicting Church teaching as expressed in the Catechism of the Church (to the writing of which Cardinal Schönborn has actively participated) regarding homosexual practices as "sins gravely contrary to chastity." Yet, now he is even advocating the legal protection of gay unions.