On the official website of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria – whose reigning archbishop is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn – two different articles, though not explicitly related to one another, will likely be of great importance for Catholics in the world today.
First, there is to be found the report that Pope Francis himself has just written a supportive letter to Cardinal Schönborn on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as a bishop. Francis praises this cardinal for his leading the Austrian Bishops’ Conference as its President “in a praiseworthy manner” and for his “concordance of word and work” that is so manifest in his personal witness. The pope also highlights that Cardinal Schönborn in his office as archbishop – and especially in his “care for the Sacred Doctrine” – is notably attentive that the sheep entrusted to him may “follow the path which you [Schönborn] show them with help of your words and your example.”
In the midst of such praise, however, another post on the same official website of Cardinal Schönborn seems to throw some doubt upon the assurance that this cardinal is leading his sheep in the right direction and for the right reasons. That is to say, his own website has now published an article about a theologian, Professor Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel, who recently presented a strong attack on those Catholics who are at all critical of the “Gender Theory.” The Viennese Professor Prüller-Jagenteufel had just helped to organize a conference from 22 to 25 September 2016 at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Vienna about the Gender Theory, and he afterwards gave an interview to the Austrian Bishops’ news agency Kathpress.at (whose own article is the same as the one on Schönborn’s website). According to Schönborn’s website, this theologian
criticizes the “anti-genderism,” which is widely spread within ecclesial circles, for its unacceptable generalizations, which are: that gender [or sex? – Geschlecht] is merely a social construction; that heterosexual relationships shall be dissolved and the traditional family destroyed.
The website further reports on the claims of this Austrian theologian and professor, as follows: “These often intentional misunderstandings and attacks against the purported ‘left-wing’ movement, which itself comes out of feminism, are in themselves ‘highly ideological’.” Prüller-Jagenteufel is also being quoted here as saying that “gender aims at equality and not at a leveling down.” In his eyes, therefore, it is wrong to disavow the whole Gender-Theory movement.
In summing up the discussions from his own 22-25 September conference, Prüller-Jagenteufel says that many people claim that those who support the gender theory want “to create a new man,” just as Marxism strove to do. Interestingly in this context, he explicitly makes a demeaning comment on Poland and on Hungary – two prominently earnest countries which still try to resist the implementation of the gender theory in their own beset homelands.
According to Schönborn’s website, Prüller-Jagenteufel just intends to “deconstruct” certain (unspecified) roles for men and women, but, purportedly, not to destroy them. Summing up the theologian’s ideas, the article supportively says:
It is mostly about questioning labellings and about making individual freedom more possible as to how we lead our own lives. Additionally, ambiguities that come to us through trans-and-intersexuality are only now being better perceived by us today – contrary to earlier times.
Prüller-Jagenteufel then also speciously insists upon the fact that both man and woman are made in the likeness of God and that this fact should have (again unspecified) consequences upon our ways of thinking. In this context, he therefore says, according to the article: “There is a reason why Pope Francis just recently initiated a commission studying the history of the female deaconate.” It is also worthwhile noting in this context that this theologian teaches theology at the University of Vienna and thus has his license to teach theology from Cardinal Schönborn himself.
Under the guidance of the president of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Schönborn himself, the Austrian news agency Kathpress.at had also additionally published an article on 23 September concerning the above-mentioned conference about the gender theory. In this article, several feminists who spoke at this conference are quoted as promoting the idea of a feminist theology and further promoting the influence of women in general within the Church. They also discredit the gathering resistance against the gender ideology and compare “anti-Genderism” with “other right-wing populist movements.”
With just these few statements to consider and to reflect upon, a Catholic can easily recognize that the Viennese Archdiocese is here giving inordinate scope to a strong undermining of those orthodox Catholic prelates and laymen – such as Cardinal Robert Sarah and Cardinal Carlo Caffarra – who try to defend the traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and the family in its entirety. It sheds additional light upon what Cardinal Schönborn is progressively promoting, not just allowing, in his own diocese. Thus, it seems doubtful to say that he is leading his sheep in the right direction, although that is the express opinion of the pope.
More & more these despicable theologians (lay & religious) want us to disbelieve that Jesus Christ was the Son of God & the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. They obviously don’t believe in God or an afterlife & don’t want anyone else to either as it gets in the way of their wantonness. They are a by-product of the sixties when letting it all ‘hang out’ was the norm. Drugs, flowers in their hair, incessant sex, Hari Krishna, the Moonies, all coming back to haunt us once again, but this time within the CC itself.
Their total disrespect for the Kingship of Christ & culpable cozying-up to politicians of all types & colours, accepting communist crucifix, inviting irreligious proponents of Marxism & outright infidels to the Vatican whilst ignoring the true followers of Christ who try to uphold the Ten Commandments & precepts of the CC over which they have appointed themselves. How far can this desecration be allowed to continue? Is there no-one within the Hierarchy capable of calling an end to it & exposing the whole can of worms which we know exists despite their deafening silence? Does no Cardinal love God sufficiently to do so? Are they all of the limp-wristed variety as is the main body of the priesthood? No manly man to speak out & say it like it is. If so, then we shall be condemned to having the likes of PF for the next few decades as all the new appointments to Bishoprics throughout the world have been of that ilk.
Perhaps some share the faith of demons (I think that’s Timothy?) and perhaps their motives as well.
Modernists run the Church for the most part. Sad, but expected, is Francis’ praise for same. No wonder that Our Lady always says “pray, pray, pray” the rosary at her apparitions. Only a Divine intervention will cleanse the Church. Please hurry Lord!
They have the subliminal attitude that human nature/potential(psychology and loosely goosey spirituality)are open-ended and to be endlessly explored. Obviously these attitudes come from Modernism’s seductive influences. While, more deeply, original sin exerts its hold over our wounded natures, in this case in rebellion against God by PF, Cdl Schonborn and this theologian. We come from God, live our short life span and then return to God.
The whole twist of language exercise seems more and more like a satanic hiss.
Regarding the abuse of language, check out the following article you can access via the Big Pulpit’s Monday edition: “The Ongoing Surrender of Terminology…”
Which of course it is. Who else is so hideously cunning?
We are living through the Third Secret right now!
Agreed. But when will it all end? Or how far can it go to the bottom?
The lunatics are running the asylum, thanks to Jorge.
Fatima, Portugal 1917. Three children. Apparition of Blessed Virgin Mary. Vision of Hell. Children told, “Many, many souls will go to Hell because of sins of the flesh”. Just sayin’
Maike, it appears the Devil has been indeed hunting this Prüller fellow!! 😉
And as for Schonborn, he doesn’t even warrant the added effort of an umlaut.
He is one who looks to be hunting the Devil for the purpose of making him his boyfriend.
Such is the state of “affairs” with the ex-Editor of the CCC!!!!!
Am I the only one who is concerned that the Cardinal’s subsequent actions call into question the integrity of the CCC?
I’m sure many Catholics are concerned. Me too! It’s best to be vigilant but not to jump to hasty conclusions regarding the CCC. Even though Cdl. Schonborn is showing himself since the Synod of 2015 to be less and less trustworthy.
It might be worthwhile to read about Father John A. Hardon’s objections against important parts of the final draft of the CCC in the 1990s. My husband not long ago published two articles on it:
http://catholicism.org/49274.html
http://catholicism.org/fr-john-hardon-on-doctrinal-moral-disorders-part-ii.html
Father Hardon stresses in his critique the infallibility of the Universal Ordinary Magisterium of the Catholic Church and thus in principle rejects anything that contradicts it. This applies also to the moral teaching of the Church.
It may just be that this gender theory nonsense is more evil then what’s on the surface.
Male Priest= persona Christi.
“When the Church teaches that the priest acts in persona Christi( in the person of Christ)
one of the things she is saying is the the priest is truly an icon of Christ in relation to the Church”
(Pope John Paul’s apostolic exhortation, Pattores Dabo Vobis, no.3)
“Indeed in the priest the faithful see “the Body of him who has loved and loves to the point of giving himself for her.” (2)
” It is, therefore, the duty of the priest to “be faithful to the Bride and almost liveliving Icons of Christ
the Spouse render fruitful the multiform donation of Christ to his Church.”[3]
“The person and ministry of a priest thus becomes a living icon for the faithful and a concrete sign of the presence of the Bridegroom”.
A woman priest? A spiritually demonic lesbian pseudo marriage.with The Bride Of Christ.
Am I way off here?
In poetic terms, and philosophic, no, I do not think you are far off the mark.
That is a central issue to be sure. Christ is a single person (not an idea or a maliable construct) who is God and he is a man. That can be developed but as I’ve heard that, the support of male priesthood flows from this. The other angle is that Christ never ordained a woman to the priesthood. Not even his blessed mother. Therefore the Church is unable to do that either.
I explain my understanding of the end-game here:
http://feminine-genius.com/fatherhood-and-blasphemy
At first glance I find very good points courageously expressed.
Such an awesome read! The Marxist view really took hold in the mid 1960s with the Welfare Act that paid mothers $$ if the father/husband wasn’t around for support. The fatherless incentive really took off from there. God bless your blog post for pointing us into the right direction from whence this is coming. I am with you – PRAY PRAY PRAY
Would anyone else besides me here be utterly and completely shocked if it turned out that Christof Schonborn was straight?
They are all as bent as a hairpin.
Schönborn’s relentless sophistry reminds me again of the old joke: “The greatest forgery in history was that of the Austrians, who managed to convince most of the world that Hitler was a German and Mozart an Austrian.”
It’s “Gender wants equality, not egalitarianism”. Now, for what I have been told this ecumenical symposium was a useless debating exercise that did not grapple with any of the dangers our Church is facing from Gender Theory. I am not sure if this man crossed the line or just came close to it but his actions sabotage what the Church had said in Poland and Hungary, and that, in my opinion, is wrong. Perhaps he didn’t indent it to be like that, perhaps he did…. My bet is that he does not care. I believe he is a ‘secular theologian’ – one of those engaged in theology but who do not believe in God.
I’m not buying it that Schönborn is promoting gender ideology. I do believe he is concerned. He really wants to bring into the Church those who are stay… but I do find it slightly odd that this report is on his diocesan website (which also happens to be his website. I doubt he spends any time running it). Then again, loads of parish newsletters and diocese’s websites around the world publish things they shouldn’t every now and then.