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Eastern Catholic prelates gather in Vienna, pray for Ukraine; Cardinal Schönborn lauds Eastern liturgy
September 12, 2025
» Continue to this story on L'Osservatore Romano (Italian)
CWN Editor's Note: Fifty prelates who minister to Europe’s Eastern Catholics gathered in Vienna, where they attended a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop emeritus of Vienna, preached the homily, and Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, was in attendance.
The prelates prayed for Ukraine, and Cardinal Schönborn expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, including refugees in Austria.
“It is not often that one witnesses such a magnificent liturgy in St. Stephen’s Cathedral,” Cardinal Schönborn added. “For Roman Catholics, the splendor of colors may be somewhat unusual, but according to the Eastern Catholic understanding, the magnificence is intended to evoke the splendor of heaven.”
“In the liturgy, we are connected to heaven, especially in times of war and difficulty,” he continued. “The liturgy is not an escape into a dream world but offers a consolation that only heaven can give.”
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