VIENNA, APRIL 9, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Vienna said the highly controversial art exhibit on display at the cathedral museum in his city was placed without his "detailed knowledge" of its content.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn issued a declaration today in response to protests over an exhibit of works by Alfred Hrdlicka displayed at the Vienna Cathedral Museum.
He ordered one of the pieces, depicting the Twelve Apostles, to be removed, but protests continue over others.
The cardinal called Hrdlicka one of Austria's most notable artists. But, the prelate affirmed he would not have agreed to blasphemous or pornographic material.
"Hrdlicka is one of Austria's most notable living artists who, probably more than any other living artist, has devoted himself to the suffering and downtrodden human being. […] He expresses this 'compassion' in a most perturbing way," Cardinal Schönborn said.
Noting some of the artist's best-known works, including one in protest of war and fascism, the cardinal said, "It is for this reason that I agreed to an exhibition of his works at the Cathedral Museum, albeit without detailed knowledge of the individual works to be exhibited."
The statement continued, "Alfred Hrdlicka has dealt with biblical subjects all his life, especially with the suffering of Christ. In spite of the fact that he claims to be a communist and an atheist, he nevertheless has a burning interest in the holy Bible, and has personally admitted that he has a great longing for faith."
However, the cardinal affirmed that the museum does not identify itself with all of Hrdlicka's works: "In some of them he oversteps the essential threshold of respect for the sacred."
"From the point of view of committed Christians, certain of his works must quite clearly be rejected," Cardinal Schönborn stated. "I obviously would not have agreed to have blasphemous or pornographic works exhibited. I therefore explicitly regret that a work of this kind was exhibited without my knowledge. I ordered the particular work -- which committed believers find deeply distressing -- to be removed on March 20."
"Nevertheless," the cardinal concluded, "I still hold the opinion that we must welcome the fact that artists who do not share our faith, or are still searching for belief, occupy themselves so intensively with biblical subjects."
ZE08040906 - 2008-04-09
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-22246?l=english
Cardinal: Art at Cathedral Oversteps Respect for Sacred
Vienna Prelate Says He Was Not Aware of Display
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