Gretchen questions

Gretchen questions

Once again "fateful days in Vienna"? First the resignation of Chancellor Werner Faymann. Now the runoff election for the new Austrian president is coming up. The Viennese cardinal warns against a breakup on the refugee ie.

Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn has warned against "spelling back" the process of European unification in view of the federal presidential election in Austria. As has been "customary for decades," he and other bishops did not want to make any election recommendations, he said in an interview with the "Kleine Zeitung" (Thursday). One trusts that the Catholics in Austria decide according to their best knowledge and conscience.

Convinced of the peace project Europe

In addition, the chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conference spoke out in favor of not abandoning the path of European countries moving toward one another. "Because I am deeply convinced of the peace project Europe, which is not perfect," he said. Compared to a "closed nation-state, which has brought so much disaster to Europe," the path of unification is "incomparably more desirable". The fact that there is a threat of a "breakup" over the refugee ie is "even the real drama," Schonborn said.

What is Schonborn's opinion of the candidates?

The Viennese Archbishop Schonborn did not comment on the candidates for the Federal Presidency standing for election. Both candidates come from political backgrounds that have a "certain closeness to Christianity" in some aspects; on other points, there is a "rather critical distance". Despite all the existing "different sensitivities and traditions," however, all parties that are within the Verfangsbogen belong "in the political landscape of Austria". He will "respectfully face" the federal president elected by the majority of the population.

And who is up for election? What do the two presidential candidates Norbert Hofer (45, FPo) and Alexander Van der Bellen (72, Greens) think about refugees, Muslims, pan-European solidarity, gay marriage and the controversial reproductive medicine law?? The Austrian church newspapers have published a few days before the runoff election on 22. May inquired.

Van der Bellen for pro-European line

Van der Bellen, an economist, stresses the obligation to "first give protection to people fleeing torture and war and provide them with a fair trial". Of course, this is only possible in a Europe of solidarity. Van der Bellen said: "As Federal President, I will remind the federal government and the heads of the provinces, but also the governments of the other EU countries, that it is their task to look for reasonable common solutions instead of arguing and blocking each other."

He wants "orderly conditions" for Austria, says the Green Party candidate: "We must distinguish between those seeking protection and migrant workers. We just have 500.000 unemployed. In my view, people who want to come for economic reasons unfortunately have no chance of being accepted here at the moment."

Van der Bellen intends to stick unswervingly to his pro-European line. He is firmly convinced that "from the point of view of peace and economic policy, we should do everything so that Europe does not break apart, but grows together." He does not want a "distortion" and a return to the nation states. "This would be catastrophic for a small country like Austria and for jobs in our country."

Hofer with EU criticism

Right-wing populist Norbert Hofer, on the other hand, focuses on EU criticism. On the question of whether the peace project Europe as a whole is not more important than its mistakes, Hofer answers literally: "No, because if the project Europe is to have a chance and also succeed in the medium term, it is necessary to point out mistakes and aberrations. Not only in the refugee ie, but also in the area of the financial crisis, the EU has failed miserably to date," Hofer said.

He said it was undisputed that Austria had taken in a very large number of asylum seekers in 2015 and could not continue to do so in the same way. He considers it unrealistic and naive "to believe that everything can be achieved. The internal order in Austria is a very high good, "which we must preserve at all costs".

Addressing Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn's statement that fellow Muslims belong to Austria, the FPo candidate said he agrees, provided "these Muslim citizens accept basic Austrian values as well as our understanding of the law". Who wants to put the Sharia above the state legal order, has "no place in Austria".

Different points of view for homosexual couples

The candidates also have different positions on the status quo of homosexual couples – who can partner up in Austria, but cannot get married in a civil ceremony. For Hofer, this is so fine. "Marriage between a man and a woman must retain its special status, as it is the only form of life from which offspring can naturally arise," the FPo candidate said. Van der Bellen, on the other hand: "Why shouldn't homosexual couples who want to take on legally binding responsibility for each other be able to do so in a solemn ceremony at the registry office??"

Van der Bellen remains vague about the law on reproductive medicine, which has been criticized by the Catholic Church. He said he is "not an expert" in this very rapidly evolving field. But it needs "great attentiveness and intensive dialogue between medicine, law and ethics".

Hofer takes a clearer position: "Life is far too precious to experiment with it."He rejected the law for several reasons. First, he believes "that it is important for children to grow up with a father and a mother.". Second, he said, egg donation "represents an enormous health burden for the donor". However, the introduction of pre-implantation diagnostics weighs most heavily on him. Here he sees the danger of a massive selection of supposedly "unworthy" life.

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Christina Cherry
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