The Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG) has honoured Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, for his services to Jewish-Christian dialogue.
During a ceremony, a star named after him was placed on the vault of the Vienna City Temple in his honour for the first time.
Simultaneously, it was the first time in the history of the IKG that a Catholic bishop attended the opening of a meeting of the Jewish Community Board – the highest body of the Jewish Community in Vienna – as a guest of honour.
In his speech, IKG President Oskar Deutsch acknowledged Cardinal Schönborn’s long-standing ties with the Jewish community and his constant commitment to interreligious dialogue.
He particularly highlighted Schönborn’s reliable support of Jewish interests in public discourse and politics – a connection between the Jewish community and the Christian churches that is unique in Europe, as it is practised in Vienna. He also emphasised the Archbishop Emeritus’ commitment to fighting both old and new forms of antisemitism and concluded with the words: “Your motto is: ‘Vos autem dixi amicos!’ – We also call you our friend!”
Chief Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer underlined the close cooperation between the Jewish and Catholic communities, which had been further strengthened during Schönborn’s term in office. He thanked the Cardinal for his many personal messages to the community, especially on major holidays, and referred to the most recent “Vienna Declaration,” which was signed on 9th January at the initiative of Cardinal Schönborn, together with the President of the Islamic Religious Community, Ümit Vural, and Engelmayer himself.
According to the Chief Rabbi, this joint declaration against religiously motivated violence will be given a special place of honour in the city temple. Engelmayer concluded with Abraham’s promise – “Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky” – and interpreted the star named after Cardinal Schönborn as a wish that he would be “given numerous spiritual descendants.”
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was deeply moved by the IKG’s gesture. He addressed one of his most important theological concerns: with the Council Declaration Nostra Aetate (1965), the Catholic Church had achieved a “Copernican revolution” and definitively contradicted the old substitution theory – according to which the Church had taken the place of Israel.
Through this teaching, Christians had, in the past, contributed to increasing anti-Jewish resentment, which had disastrous consequences. Today, in the Catholic Church, as in other Christian churches, it is clear that God’s covenant with His people Israel is irrevocable – as Paul had already emphasised.
Deepening this theological insight and actually overcoming it was and remains one of his central concerns as a theologian and bishop. After all, it is the deepest reason for the profound bond between Christians and Jews.
