The Archdiocese of Vienna has a new archbishop, confirming the speculation of Austrian media that the post would go to the current apostolic administrator.
The appointment of Fr Josef Grünwidl to become the next Archbishop of Vienna was confirmed in an announcement on 17 October by Pope Leo XIV and ended months of uncertainty and speculation following the retirement of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in January.
Cardinal Schönborn, who turned 80 in January, stepped down after nearly three decades as head of the Austrian Church. His resignation was accepted on 22 January, leaving the Austrian capital’s archdiocese under the temporary leadership of Father Grünwidl.
Initially, Church observers had anticipated a swift nomination for Schönborn’s successor, but the process was delayed amid the papal transition and internal Vatican reorganisation.
Now, after eight months of uncertainty, a decision has been made by the Holy See. The Austrian Council of Ministers, which holds a formal right of objection to episcopal appointments under long-standing concordat arrangements, is expected to approve the nomination without issue.
Fr Grünwidl, 62, has spent most of his priestly life in the bureaucracy of the Viennese Church. Born in Hollabrunn, Lower Austria, he entered the seminary in Vienna and was ordained in 1988 by the late Cardinal Franz König.
He served as secretary to the newly appointed Archbishop Schönborn between 1995 and 1998 before taking up a series of parish and diocesan posts, including chair of the Vienna Priests’ Council and Episcopal Vicar of the southern vicariate.
Known for his pastoral approach and openness to dialogue, Grünwidl was once associated with the so-called “Priests’ Initiative”, a reform-minded movement that drew controversy in 2011 with its “Call to Disobedience” over Church discipline and celibacy.
Though Pope Leo has previously avoided public comment on the vacancy, some in Church circles see the pontiff's elevation of Fr Grünwidl as a sign that the Pope is prepared to favour local experience over outside candidates such as Bishop Hermann Glettler of Innsbruck or the Bishops’ Conference secretary, Fr Peter Schipka.
The appointment will bring to an end a period of uncertainty for one of Europe’s most historic sees.
Vienna’s archbishops have long held a prominent place in the Catholic life of Central Europe, guiding the Church through imperial grandeur, war and post-conciliar reform.
From Cardinal Piffl’s tenure in the final years of the Habsburg Empire to Theodor Innitzer’s persecution from Nazi and Communist regimes, the succession carries both symbolic and pastoral weight.
Photo: St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria (image from wien.info)
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