Yesterday, Crux reported on the strong words of Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in response to the rioters at the US Capitol in Washington on January 6. Here is our translation of his full January 15 statement:

I can’t get the images of the Storming of the Capitol in Washington out of my mind. How did this happen? Five people are dead, so many injured, offices were destroyed, and the rule of law trampled upon. Now some are suggesting that it was an evil “mob” from the dregs of civilized humanity. No, they weren’t! They were seduced and lied to. They were pummeled (with untruths and lies): that those up there, government and the legislature, stole your election. The elections were rigged. You have to fight back! 

Who kept telling you this on Twitter and all kinds of channels? The (still) current, incumbent president of the most powerful country in the world! Even before the elections, he proclaimed: If I am not re-elected, it can only be election fraud. He called for a protest. At the end of this protest he said, “Go to the Capitol!” 

The crowd that stormed the Capitol was falsely convinced that they were fighting the biggest electoral fraud in America’s history. Nothing justifies their violence. Even less: the lies that led to the violence. This is what happens when truth can no longer be distinguished from lies. What a warning against the power of lies!

Translation by Deacon Clayton Nickel

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. He and Jeannie Gaffigan co-host Field Hospital, a U.S. Catholic podcast.

Deacon Clayton Nickel (Translator)

Deacon Clayton Nickel is a deacon of the Archdiocese of Washington and a convert to the Catholic faith. The Washington metro area is his home. The Catholic Church is his spiritual home.

He has many years of international experience from Germany to South Africa to Japan. In addition to his native English, he is bilingual in German, and also speaks and writes French. He enjoys working with different cultures and languages . Having lived in Germany for many years, he follows the German scene closely.