The Orthodox Church in Austria expressed its joy and heartfelt emotion at the election of Josef Grünwidl as the new Archbishop of Vienna.
With words of love and unity, the Metropolis of Austria wished him a fruitful and blessed new ministry, recognizing in his person a true man of faith, dialogue, and peace.
Read below the message of the Metropolis of Austria
The Orthodox Church in Austria joyfully welcomes the news of the election of the Most Reverend Josef Grünwidl as the new Archbishop of Vienna. With a spirit of brotherly love and unity, we extend our warmest congratulations and offer our heartfelt prayers for a blessed ministry entrusted to him by the Catholic Church.
The newly elected Archbishop Josef, already through his previous service as priest and vicar, has shown a truly pastoral heart, a spirit of dialogue, and profound spirituality. His gentle words, his willingness to listen, and his inspired closeness to people bear witness to the ethos of a shepherd who does not rule but serves, who does not dominate but lives the mystery of love.
The Holy Metropolis of Austria recognizes in the person of the new Archbishop a brother in Christ — a man of prayer and peace, a fellow traveler in the common witness of faith.
In an age when the world thirsts for reconciliation and empathy, the common witness of Christians acquires special significance. Ecumenical dialogue — the fruit of truth and trust — is not a luxury but a necessity of our time. The Church is called to show that unity is possible and that love helps overcome every division.
His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria expresses his confidence and hope that the new Archbishop of Vienna will continue and deepen the fraternal understanding, in a spirit of cooperation and common witness of faith, to the glory of God and the salvation of the world.
He wholeheartedly prays that the Lord of glory may grant the new Archbishop health, enlightenment, and inspiration, so that his word and presence may become a source of comfort, hope, and spiritual renewal for the people of God in Vienna and throughout Austria.
Photo copyright: Erzdiözese Wien / Stephan Schönlaub
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
