Cardinal Schönborn lives! Archdiocese of Vienna warns of dangerous fake news.

Cardinal Schönborn lives! Archdiocese of Vienna warns of dangerous fake news.

Wien, Österreich - On March 26, 2025, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn became the victim of false reports on his alleged death. The Archdiocese of Vienna has now vehemently warned of these rumors and confirmed that Schönborn, who resigned on "Best Health" on January 22, 2025, his 80th birthday, as an archbishop and recently called with his secretary. He even reported a new ice cream called "Halleluja".

The trigger for the spread of this wrong message was a user on the "X" platform, who mistakenly spent "Mag. Josef Grünwidl, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Vienna". The fake account had spread the news: "S. E. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, o.p. emeritus Archbishop of Vienna died." The archdiocese also made it clear that Grünwidl does not have its own account on social media and that the fake account has now been deleted.

fake news in focus

The spread of such false information is a serious problem that not only affects church circles. In general, fake news, misinformation and disinformation are questionable today. These misleading media content spread primarily on social media. The debate about fake news was initiated by Donald Trump's election in 2016 and the Brexit referendum.

Studies show that trust in political and media institutions is falling, which increases the receptivity to fake news. In addition, surveys show that many citizens are concerned: fake news could influence election results. Initiatives such as "EU vs. Disinfo" and the European Digital Media Observatory were launched to act against this disinformation.

media literacy as a solution approach

An essential approach to combating fake news is the promotion of media literacy. This not only includes the critical reflection of media content, but also the ability to differentiate between real and false news. Studies show that intensive widens of fake news often have high media literacy and use deliberately dubious sources.

The challenge is to understand the fake news problem as a specific problem of certain social groups. Long -term solutions are necessary to ensure that the majority of citizens: inside consumes serious media. In an information age in which fake news can spread rapidly, this claim is more important than ever.

Overall, both society and everyone must help: R individuals to reduce the spread of false information and to create a safe information environment. Further information on the challenges of fake news can be found on the website of the Federal Center for Political Education, which sacrifices detailed about misinformation and disinformation.

The current situation around Cardinal Schönborn illustrates how easily people can make victims of false information, and calls for vigilance and critical media use. The Archdiocese of Vienna remains vigilant and discusses current topics to counteract such dangerous rumors.