Cardinal urges Austria to promote humanitarian EU policies

Published: 2006-01-12

VIENNA, Austria (CNS) -- An Austrian cardinal has urged the government to rebuild public confidence in the European Union by promoting humanitarian policies during its presidency of the 25-country trading bloc. "Austria carries a weighty responsibility, with European integration surrounded by so much disappointment and skepticism," said Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna. "We have a European vocation, and I hope all political and social forces will place co-responsibility for Europe above their particular interests." In a January interview with the Austrian Kurier newspaper, the cardinal said Austrians had traditionally shown hospitality to immigrants and asylum-seekers, whose treatment should be a policy priority during the six-month presidency. Cardinal Schonborn also said talks with Turkey offered a chance to promote human rights in a region "linked with European history as much through conflicts as through cooperation."

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