AUSTRIA
Austrian Independent
One in five Austrians consider Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn as a reactionary clergyman.
Public opinion research group Karmasin found that 20 per cent of people think that Schönborn, the highest representative of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria and head of the Conference of Bishops, has a conservative attitude.
The poll – for which 500 people were interviewed – also shows that, with 47 per cent, almost half of Austrians categorise Schönborn as neither reactionary nor progressive. Around 17 per cent regard Schönborn as progressive.
Researcher Sophie Karmasin told magazine profil – for which her agency conducted the survey – that she did not expect the Church’s reputation to improve due to Schönborn’s decision concerning the controversy in Stützenhofen. Karmasin added that the archbishop’s decision to issue a warning towards the Preachers’ Initiative was unlikely to have a significant impact either.
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