Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Josef Grünwidl as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna. He will succeed Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who led the Archdiocese of Vienna until January 22, 2025, when he turned 80.
This was reported by Vatican News.
Bishop-nominee Josef Grünwidl was born on January 31, 1963, in Hollabrunn, which is part of the Archdiocese of Vienna. He received his education at the Vienna Seminary and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Vienna. On June 29, 1988, he was ordained a priest in the same archdiocese.
Throughout his career, Father Grünwidl has held various positions, including serving as the personal secretary to the Metropolitan of Vienna from 1995 to 1998. He served as the parish priest and dean in Kirchberg am Wechsel from 1998 to 2014, and then in Perchtoldsdorf from 2014 to 2023. He has also served as the executive chairman of the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Vienna from 2023 to 2025 and was appointed an honorary canon of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna for the years 2024 to 2025.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the Archbishop of Vienna typically serves as the Ordinary for Eastern Rite Catholics in Austria. The current head of the ordinariate is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.