Pope Benedict XVI has posted this Friday Agidius Zsifkovics as the new Bishop of Eisenstadt -- unease in the Austrian church over SPÖ (Socialist Party Austria) "commentating" on the naming -- Greetings of the new Bishop on kath.net.
Eisenstadt (kath.net) Pope Benedict has announced this Friday that Aegidius Zsifkovics is to be named as the new Bishop of Eisenstadt. This was reported by the Vatican this Friday. Zsifkoics was born on 16 April, 1963 in Guessing (Burgenland). His priestly ordination fell on 29 June, 1987 in Eisenstadt. In the time between 1987 to 1988 he was the episcopal secretary and finally from 1992-1999 Chair of the Chancellery. Since 1994 he's been pastor in Wulkaprodersdorf and since 1996 director of the department for the pastoral care of Croatian people. From 1996 he was also an author for the Croatian church paper, "Glasnik". From 1 February 1999 to 9 July 2010 he was the General Secretary of the Austrian Bishops' Conference.
Unease in episcopal circles was felt on Friday in the connection with the Episcopal announcement and the Burgeland- SPÖ (Socialist Party) for the departing Bishop Iby as a "great churchman" who had shown himself as a tireless reformer, who also did not shrink in terror, to draw clear positions on explosive themes -- catchword celibacy. "I hope, that his successor in the episcopal office will continue in this open course," said Defense Minister Norbert Darabos this Friday.
Bishop's Greetings on Kathnet
He describes himself as a child of the Vatican Council and promises to work without ideological bias, as well as the familiar approach to the ecumenism and a reminder of his own Croat heritage and experience as a pastor.
He didn't Defend the Linz Auxiliary Bishop like This!
This is the Proof: The old liberal Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna felt himself personally attacked and rushed to Eisenstadt for his named clone in whom otherwise would shun with an iron shod distance.
[Kreuz.net] The old liberal Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, had defended the current announcement of Msgr Zsifkovics as Bishop of Eisenstdt with a drawn sword.
The old liberal Cardinal took considerable and unusual umbrage over the neoconservative new Bishop.
There were "hard words" falling.
Most had no foundation in reality -- the Cardinal averred:
"I expressly repudiate the completely unqualified attacks, as they were hurtfully formulated by Professor [Fr] Paul Zuhlehner and Prelate Helmut Schuller.
Such 'distant diagnoses' could poison the Church's life" -- feigned the Intrigue-Cardinal.
It falls upon everyone, especially a newly named Bishop to receive good will.
The old liberal Cardinal compared the most recent naming indirectly to Father Gerhard Wagner as the Linz Auxiliary Bishop in January 2009:
"In this case the more conservative approach in the preparation of an episcopal announcement would be adhered to."
With "a more conservative approach" he means his personal involvement in the episcopal announcement of his country, by which a Catholic Linz Auxiliary Bishop's appointment could be impeded.
"The present Bishop of Eisenstadt is "a man of the middle", has written for a great Austrian Newspaper: So I have been collaborating with him for all of those years" -- exulted Cardinal Schönborn.
"Man of the middle" is the known self-identification of the old liberal faction for their own anti-Church functionaries.
The Cardinal is himself certain, that Bishop Zsifkovics, "will build bridges between the various mentalities, perceptions and lifestyles [EF says: Yeah] in the Church's domain.
He could on "build a good foundation lain by his predecessors [Msgr] Stefan Laszlo and [Msgr] Paul Iby."
Actually, Bishop Iby has left the Diocese of Eisenstadt in an indescribable Chaos.
Translation from kreuz.net, by EF...
EF says: The Cardinal is an enigma, but should it be so hard for Catholics to discern what he's doing? Perhaps not, but even a Pastor as clever as a serpent would be at greater pains to leave his sheep in no doubt about his love for Christ and willingness to die for the Church.
2 comments:
I didn't google it, but I would bet everything that I have (which isn't much) that this was the first time that the adjective "wily" was applied to a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Cardinal Richelieu, and a few Medici cardinals, had they spoken English, might have had the epithet applied to him.
We've built up a lot of admiration for this man. It's almost tragic to see him steering the Austrian Church into schism.
If we didn't know anything about him, we'd say that his talk with the Holy Father may have gave him second thoughts about railroading another one of his picks as he did with the great Father Wagner of Linz.
If our new Bishop got slammed by the socialists and liberal churchmen, he must be good, but to see Cardinal S defend him makes you wonder. When Father Wagner was announced as Auxiliary, Cardinal S. simply stood back and probably even gave him a little shove when no one was looking, then actually joined, ever so subtly in the denunciations leveled against him.
This is probably one of the most brilliant churchmen of the age, and he seems to us to be one of the bad guys...
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