Nothing exciting.
We continue in Specola:
Vienna already has an archbishop.
Vienna already has a new archbishop, Josef Grünwidl, consecrated this Saturday. In Vienna, the Pope can appoint the archbishop with relative freedom and does not have to consider any extraordinary political situation. Grünwidl commented that at first he was very surprised to learn that he was one of the candidates. He was already leading the archdiocese on an interim basis after the retirement of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn on January 22, 2025: «God does not need me to be perfect, but he does want me to be available». He is considered a close confidant of his predecessor, Archbishop Schönborn, who led the archdiocese for 30 years, Grünwidl was his secretary. He is in favor of relaxing the rules on celibacy. Priestly celibacy has always existed and will continue to exist; however, they could be given the option to live it or not. Grünwidl insists that he intends to maintain his established stance on these issues, always in accordance with the Church. He was a member of the Austrian Priests’ Initiative, an association of clergy that advocated for reforms within the Church, but he withdrew from the group after its «call to disobedience». Cardinal Schönborn, who did not attend the consistory, will officiate the consecration as the principal consecrator.
Archbishop Josef Grünwidl
Archbishop of Wien {Vienna}, Austria
Events
| Date | Age | Event | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 1963 | 62.98 | Born | |
| 31 May 1987 | 24.3 | Ordained Deacon | Deacon of Wien {Vienna}, Austria |
| 29 Jun 1988 | 25.4 | Ordained Priest | Priest of Wien {Vienna}, Austria |
| 22 Jan 2025 | 61.9 | Appointed | Apostolic Administrator of Wien {Vienna}, Austria |
| 17 Oct 2025 | 62.7 | Appointed | Archbishop of Wien {Vienna}, Austria |
| 24 Jan 2026 | 62.9 | Ordained Bishop | Archbishop of Wien {Vienna}, Austria |