Continue Waiting for Schönborn's Successor

It was stated from government circles that they want to wait for church communication before commenting. According to the concordat, the Council of Ministers must be involved. If there are no political objections, the appointment will be published in the Vatican's "Bollettino". According to Kathpress, the Council of Ministers may have already agreed. On Thursday, there was no official announcement from the Vatican, and Vienna was not mentioned in the "Bollettino". It is speculated that the Catholic Church will publish the decision by Saturday.

Consecration of Schönborn's Successor in the Second Half of January

For the appointment of the new archbishop, the Pummerin is traditionally rung in Vienna. Before Grünwidl can "take possession" of the bishop's seat, he must still be consecrated as a bishop. According to the Archdiocese, this consecration would likely be conducted by his predecessor Schönborn, probably in the second half of January 2026.

Whether Grünwidl, like Schönborn and his predecessor, will also be appointed cardinal and thus gain voting rights in the election of the next pope is still open. Although it has been customary due to the historical role of the Diocese of Vienna, according to a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, that the Archbishop of Vienna is appointed cardinal by the pope after a certain period. However, there is no canonical provision for this. Pope Francis recently deviated from this tradition. How the current Pope Leo will handle this question is not foreseeable. He has not yet appointed any bishops.

Schönborn's Successor: Grünwidl Had Declined in the Summer

Josef Grünwidl has not actively sought the office of archbishop: Just a few weeks ago, he had taken himself out of the running for the office. Some of his positions do not necessarily align with those of the Vatican. For instance, he spoke out against mandatory celibacy in April. The 62-year-old has considerable experience in the Archdiocese. In 1993, he became the secretary of the newly appointed Archbishop Schönborn for five years. Before his appointment as administrator, he was the acting chairman of the Vienna Priests' Council.

Having a new Archbishop of Vienna is not an everyday occurrence. It has been 30 years since Schönborn was introduced to his office. In fact, since World War II, there have only been four Archbishops of Vienna, which is mainly due to the 30-year tenure of Cardinal Franz König. Other candidates who have been mentioned in the past as possible successors to Schönborn include the Bishop of Innsbruck, Hermann Glettler, and the Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference, Peter Schipka.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.