Cardinal Schönborn tells US: support democracy in Arab world by protecting Christians

(Catholic Culture) Speaking at a Washington conference on religious freedom, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna challenged Americans to protect the Christians living in Islamic countries.


“The Christians and other minorities in the Near East know their only chance of survival is the secular state with real religious freedom,” the Austrian cardinal said. Observing that Americans had shown support for the “Arab Spring” uprisings in the region that have increased the dangers to the religious minority, he said that the best way to promote democracy would be to ensure that Christians have “the space of freedom.”