Pope Accepted Resignation of Cardinal Schönborn as Archbishop of Vienna
The decision was published in the Vatican's "Bollettino" at noon. A successor has not yet been announced. The decision could still take weeks. As an interim solution, the Vatican appointed the Viennese Episcopal Vicar Josef Grünwidl as the Apostolic Administrator.
Schönborn had already offered his resignation to the Pope at the beginning of 2020 - but was then not heard for a long time. The Vatican first extended Schönborn's term of office indefinitely. "Rome has informed me that my term of service as Archbishop of Vienna ends today," Schönborn himself confirmed on YouTube the acceptance of his resignation. The Cardinal spoke of a "memorable day". With his 80th birthday, Schönborn also loses the right to vote in a papal election.
"Woke Up as an Emeritus Archbishop"
"So I fell asleep as the acting Archbishop and woke up as an emeritus Archbishop - and I didn't notice any major loss of identity," Schönborn summed up the events on his 80th birthday at a joint press conference with Grünwidl. Regarding his future, the Cardinal said: "I don't have any big plans. So I want to remain a retired bishop within shouting distance." Schönborn will also continue to perform tasks in Rome.
Regarding the question of searching for his successor, Schönborn said that this topic has been worked on in the Vatican for five years now. Now it could also go very quickly, the now emeritus Archbishop did not give a specific timeframe, because: "I don't have any coffee grounds from which I could read that." It is no secret that many people have already been interviewed, Grünwidl noted. Could he himself become Archbishop? "This question does not arise for me at the moment."
Grünwidl Has Been a Confidant for Many Years
Grünwidl was appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Southern Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Vienna by Cardinal Schönborn exactly two years ago to the day. They have known each other for a long time, the Cardinal emphasized in the presence of the Administrator, who in turn thanked him for the great trust. "I can only invite everyone to continue on the path of reform," said Grünwidl, who is not allowed to make groundbreaking decisions, such as the appointment of pastors or new structures.
In circles of the Archdiocese, it is now assumed that a successor to Schönborn will be announced in the next six to eight weeks. The fact that Rome has created an interim solution also shows for the press spokesman of the Archdiocese, Michael Prüller, that the procedure must already be well advanced. He too hopes for "a decision in the next few weeks".
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.