New Pope Leo XIV "Loves Vienna"
The new Pope Leo XIV "loves Austria, he loves Vienna." This was stated by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn on Friday in a press conference. The former Archbishop of Vienna had welcomed Robert Francis Prevost, the then Prefect for the Bishops, at the Archbishop's Palace in November of the previous year. He "knows the situation in Vienna very well."
Vienna Not Unknown to Pope Leo XIV
The Augustinian Prevost visited the Augustinian Monastery in Vienna on All Saints' Day 2024 for the 675th consecration anniversary of the Augustinian Church and also celebrated a solemn mass there. "Obviously, he has a sympathy for Austria, for Vienna, and also for his fellow brothers," said Schönborn.
The Cardinal had met Prevost several times in his role as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in the search for a successor for the Archdiocese of Vienna. "He is a very calm, very clear, very cordial, but quite determined person," shared the Cardinal his impressions of the studied canon lawyer and former diocesan bishop in Peru. "He is very attentive, attentive. I felt extremely welcome."
Seat of Vienna Archbishop Vacant
Whether the election of Pope Leo will bring a quick decision for the archbishop's seat of Vienna, vacant since January, Schönborn did not want to commit. "He knows the situation very well, which could speed things up. But perhaps because he knows it so well, and knows that it is complex, it could also take longer."
As he already mentioned in his first reaction on the day of the election, the Cardinal said he "bet on him (Prevost, note)." His joy is in any case "immensely great": "I am very proud of my fellow cardinals that they were able to make such a clear decision in such a short time." Schönborn sees the role of the papacy in the tension between continuity and renewal. "It is not leaps and breaks, it is continuity, but in great diversity."
"We Need Such Symbolic Figures"
Leo XIV clearly committed to the synodality of the Church in his first address, Schönborn emphasized. This was already a topic at the conclave in 2013, when Pope Francis was elected: To what extent must a pope be a team player, perceiving his office not as monarchical, but as a collegial leadership office?
From Pope Leo, Schönborn expects above all: "That he is the Pope." Despite all personal differences, the popes are always "the Pope." The worldwide reaction of people from all over the world to the conclave showed that one feels: "We need such symbolic figures."
(APA/Red)
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