Rolling over Beethoven...

Headlines:  German Pope disciplines Austrian Cardinal!
.
It appears the more "chiacchiericcio" of Catholic bloggers are all excited about this one... 
.

1. Today, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Episcopal Conference. He had asked to report personally to the Supreme Pontiff on the present situation of the Church in Austria. In particular, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn wishes to clarify the exact sense of his recent statements on some aspects of ecclesiastical discipline [read: priestly celibacy], as well as some judgments on the attachment had by the Secretariat of State, and in particular by the then-Secretary of State of Pope John Paul II of venerated memory, as regards the late Cardinal Hans Hermann Gröer, Archbishop of Vienna from 1986 to 1995.

.
2. Subsequently, invited into the meeting were Cardinals Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State.
.
In the second part of the audience, some widely-circulated misunderstandings partially derived by some comments of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn were clarified and resolved, for which he expressed his regret over the interpretations given.

In particular:

a) It is recalled that in the Church, when accusations are made against a Cardinal, the competence [of judgment] rests solely with the Pope; other instances have a function of consultation, always with the proper respect for persons.
.
b) The word "chiacchiericcio" ["chatter," "gossip"] was erroneously interpreted as a lack of respect for the victims of sexual abuse, for whom Cardinal Angelo Sodano holds the same sentiments of compassion and condemnation of evil, as expressed in diverse interventions of the Holy Father. That word, pronounced in his Easter address to Pope Benedict XVI, was taken literally from the papal homily of Palm Sunday and referred to the "courage that doesn't let one be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinions." - Read more.

I'm sure many are more than thrilled about this, which may explain some of the headlines: "Schönborn called on the carpet!"; "Cardinal rebuked by Pope!"; "Taken to the woodshed!"; "You vill obey immediately!";  "Retract your "chiacchiericcio" statement or turn in your cappa magna!";  "No soup for you!". 
.
All kidding aside, I'm grateful the Holy Father addressed this directly.
.
H/T Whispers
. 
Photo:  Vincenzo
.
Note:  Some background information on Cardinal Schönborn. (You know, he really is of noble descent Tradley!):
 
His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn OP (who would have been Count Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert von Schönborn if Austrian law on nobility were not in place), born on January 22, 1945 at Skalken castle west of Leitmeritz, in Bohemia, which is now in the Czech Republic) is an Austrian cardinal. He has been Archbishop of Vienna since 1995. Schönborn succeeded Hans Hermann Groër.
.
Schönborn is the second son of the Count Hugo-Damian von Schönborn and Baroness Eleonore Ottilie Hilda Maria von Doblhoff. They divorced in 1959. The Cardinal has two brothers and one sister. He belongs to an old Central European noble family. Over the centuries, several members of Schönborn family have held high posts in the Catholic Church. In 1945, his family was forced to flee from Bohemia. Schönborn took his Matura exam in 1963, and studied theology and philosophy in Bornheim-Walberberg, Vienna, and Paris. He was ordained a Dominican priest by Cardinal Franz König on 27 December 1970 in Vienna, and later studied in Regensburg under Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). From 1975 he was professor at Freiburg im Üechtland. In 1980, he became a member of the international theological commission of the Holy See, and in 1987 he became editorial secretary for the World Catechism. He speaks six languages.
.
He became a coadjutor of the Archbishop of Vienna on 11 April 1995 and Archbishop of Vienna on 14 September 1995. He was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 20 February 1998.