The Church is strongly opposed to any legalization of euthanasia, a prospect discussed in recent days at the level of the Council of Europe. The Church’s “firm opposition” was reiterated by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference, in an address at Tainach/Tinje in Carinthia on 22 February, during which he spoke of the forthcoming Congress of the Catholics of Central Europe (MEKT) on 22 May. Schönborn underlined the role of Christianity in Europe and the “particular responsibility” of Austria in “supporting European integration”. “Christians continued the cardinal must strive to ensure that Europe becomes a home for many peoples without them losing their own identity in the process. He deplored the fact that “there’s still a lot to be done” in fostering a “society of common values”; as examples he cited “the decline in the birth rate, the debate on euthanasia and developments in the genetic field. Schönborn also emphasized “the lack of a common foreign policy”, which gives rise to “the sad experience of impotence and inefficiency”: in tackling this problem, he concluded, Europe must question itself about the “image of disunion” it presents to the rest of the world.
