Pope Leo XIV received the archbishop of Vienna, Monsignor Josef Grünwidl, in a private audience on Monday, during his first official visit to the Vatican since being appointed successor to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn at the head of the Austrian archdiocese.
According to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna to the agency Kathpress, the private meeting lasted approximately half an hour. After the meeting, Grünwidl highlighted the Pontiff’s attitude during the conversation.
“It was a very good conversation. Pope Leo is, as many have pointed out before me, an excellent listener,” the Viennese archbishop stated at the end of the audience.
A prelate identified with the Austrian progressive line
During the meeting, Grünwidl was able to inform the Pope about the situation of the Church in Vienna, although the archdiocese specified that the concrete content of the conversation remains confidential.
The archbishop’s visit comes in a context marked by the expectations generated around his ecclesial profile. Grünwidl has frequently been presented as a continuator of the line promoted for decades by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, one of the most representative figures of the progressive Central European sector.
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Before his appointment as Archbishop of Vienna, Grünwidl had already made statements favorable to reviewing issues such as mandatory priestly celibacy and greater participation of women in ecclesial structures of responsibility.
Visit to Francis’s tomb and meetings in the Curia
As part of his Roman agenda, Grünwidl is scheduled to visit the tomb of Pope Francis in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. He will also hold meetings with officials from various Vatican dicasteries.
This Tuesday, he will continue his meetings with representatives from the dicasteries for Bishops and for the Clergy, in addition to holding conversations in the educational field.
Schönborn’s successor in Vienna
Leo XIV appointed Josef Grünwidl Archbishop of Vienna in October 2025, succeeding Cardinal Christoph Schönborn after his retirement upon reaching 80 years of age.
The new archbishop received episcopal ordination on January 24, 2026, in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.
Before his definitive appointment, Grünwidl had already led the archdiocese for a year as apostolic administrator, first appointed by Pope Francis after Schönborn’s departure.
The Archdiocese of Vienna, with nearly one million Catholics, is considered one of the most influential sees in the German-speaking world and has played a relevant role for years in ecclesial debates related to pastoral and disciplinary reforms within the European Church.