Cardinal calls mercy a grace that points out sin, provides healing

Published: 2008-04-03

ROME (CNS) -- The infinite mercy of God is not simply a warm feeling that leads God to ignore sin and human error, but is a grace that points out sin and provides healing, said Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna. "Some people today try to pass euthanasia off as a form of mercy," the cardinal said, opening the April 2-6 World Apostolic Congress on Mercy. But euthanasia is murder whereas mercy leads to sharing the suffering of another and alleviating as much pain as possible while sitting alongside the dying, he said. Mercy is not real if it does not acknowledge the whole truth, Cardinal Schonborn said. Too many people, he said, see the God of the Old Testament as an angry God, when in fact the Hebrew Scriptures are "a great school of God's mercy." "The love of God for his people is one of unimaginable fidelity," the cardinal said. "All people, from the king to the most simple, are scolded for their errors" because "one can heal only if there is an honest and clear diagnosis" of the ailment.

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