Vienna, Austria, May 30, 2008 / 14:54 pm
In response to a report in the Italian daily “La Repubblica” that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn could become the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Vienna, Erich Leitenberger, said on Stephanscom Austrian Radio that the rumor was unfounded.
On May 25, La Repubblica published an article by Marco Politi in which he offered a “general analysis” of the General Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference of Italy. Commenting on the rumor about Cardinal Schönborn, Politi said a personnel change at the Vatican was possible but that “until the Pope has signed off” on any changes, “everything is subject to question.”
The German daily Der Standard, picking up on the report in La Repubblica, said that if Cardinal Schönborn were to take the post, Cardinal Levada would have to return to the United States.
In response to the speculation, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Vienna, Erich Leitenberger, said on May 27 that “the rumor has been brought up numerous times” and “has no basis in reality.”