Benedict XVI Writes Letter to Cardinal Schoenborn

Benedict XVI has sent a letter to Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn about recent comments he made about Cardinal Angelo Sodano, according to an article in Il Foglio newspaper, and blogged about yesterday by the Vaticanista Andrea Tornielli.

Writing on his blog Sacri Palazzi, Tornielli says the Holy Father wrote to the Archbishop of Vienna about his recent off-the-record comments to Austrian journalists, during which he criticized Cardinal Sodano, the former Vatican Secretary of State, for preventing an investigation into accusations against Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër in the 1990s. The cardinal was later found to have sexually abused seminarians.

Cardinal Schoenborn also criticised Cardinal Sodano for his dismissing of media reports of the Pope’s handling sexual abuse by clergy as “petty gossip” during a spontaneous message of support to the Pope on Easter Sunday. He said Sodano's comments "deeply wronged" victims of abuse.

The existence of the letter would not be surprising. Last week, a source close to the Pope said the Holy Father was distressed by Cardinal Schoenborn’s remarks about Sodano, and the Archbishop of Vienna’s other controversial comments on homosexual relationships that were widely reported.

There are mixed opinions about whether Cardinal Schoenborn should have spoken off the record with a group of journalists. Some thought it naïve as any one of them could leak their conversation without being traced. Others, however, are grateful for what he said.

But for one cardinal to criticize another so publicly is unprecedented.

Tornielli points out this isn’t the first time the Pope has written to Cardinal Schoenborn. Six months ago he wrote to him about his unannounced and controversial visit to Medjugorje, now currently the subject of an investigation led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.