Josef Grünwidl

Josef Grünwidl (born 31 January 1963) is an Austrian Roman Catholic priest who has been appointed metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vienna, where he has served as apostolic administrator since January 2025. He is scheduled to take up that office in January 2026. Aside from one year in Germany, he was educated in the Archdiocese and has spent his career in Lower Austria since becoming a priest in 1988.

Josef Grünwidl was born on 31 January 1963 in the Hollabrunn district and grew up in Wullersdorf in Lower Austria. He attended the Archbishop's High School in Hollabrunn, graduating in 1981. He then entered the seminary of the Archdiocese of Vienna and studied theology at the University of Vienna. At the same time, he studied organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. While studying for a year in Würzburg in 1983/84 he decided to become a priest.^[1] He wrote his diploma thesis, "Suffering is in God", on Jürgen Moltmann's theology of the cross, under Josef Weismayer in 1987.^[2]

In 1987, Grünwidl was ordained a deacon by Auxiliary Bishop Helmut Krätzl. He completed his deaconry year in Perchtoldsdorf. On 29 June 1988, he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Franz König in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.^[1]

Grünwidl served as chaplain at the parish of St. John Nepomuk in Vienna from 1988 to 1991 and was curate of the cathedral parish of Wiener Neustadt from 1991 to 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he served as diocesan youth pastor for the Archdiocese of Vienna. From 1995 to 1998, he was secretary to the new Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn. From 1998 to 2014, Grünwidl served as pastor in Kirchberg am Wechsel and the surrounding parishes of Feistritz, St. Corona, and Trattenbach. He also served as dean of the Kirchberg am Wechsel deanery from 2007 to 2014. In 2014, he moved to the parish of Perchtoldsdorf, where he served as parish moderator until 2023 and, from 2016, also held the office of dean of the Perchtoldsdorf deanery. From 2016 to March 2023, Grünwidl served as the executive chairman of the Vienna Priests Council. He became Episcopal Vicar for the Southern Vicariate in January 2023. In November 2024, he was appointed an honorary canon of the Cathedral Chapter of St. Stephen's.^[3]

On 22 January 2025, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese.^[4] While in that role he offered his assessment of faith in contemporary Austria, where religion is a choice made in adulthood rather than an inheritance and described a need for pastoral services that addresses people's need for a sense of belonging, both spiritual and personal. He judged Church life more vibrant in rural areas and lamented congregations that suffer from fatigue and need spiritual renewal.^[5]

The press reported on 15 October 2025 that the Holy See had confidentially communicated his appointment as the new archbishop of Vienna to the Government of Austria as required by Article IV. § 2 of the Concordat of 1933, in order to identify any objections of a political nature.^[6][7] On 17 October 2025, having received no objection from the government,^[8] Pope Leo XIV appointed him archbishop of Vienna.^[3] Grünwidl had several times said he did not want the position.^[9] He blamed the delay in filling the position on his own hesitation, which he had now fully overcome.^[10] His episcopal ordination is scheduled for 24 January 2026 and Christoph Schönborn will preside as episcopal principal consecrator.^[11] Grünwidl will remain apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until then.^[10]

At the press conference announcing his appointment he said: "I have firmly resolved that as archbishop I will not be absorbed in management and administrative tasks, but will remain a pastor."^[12] Anticipating his leadership of the Archdiocese, Der Standard described him as "progressive", noting that he has voiced support for ending clerical celibacy and said that there is an "urgent need for clarification" of the role of women in the Church. In his first nine months as apostolic administrator, he named three women to leadership roles in the Archdiocese.^[9] He once belonged to a reform advocacy group called the Priests' Initiative, but left when the organization proposed disobedience as a tactic.^[13][14]

• Timeline/Biography, Archdiocese of Vienna