[Catholic Caucus] New Vienna archbishop’s consecration Mass features women in key roles, altered rituals

Josef Grünwidl was ordained Archbishop of Vienna on Saturday in a ceremony at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The rite included notable deviations from the liturgical texts, with an emphasis on layperson involvement, including women-led roles in the ceremony.

On January 24, Josef Grünwidl was consecrated archbishop during a solemn Mass in Vienna, Austria, after having been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as successor to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. During the consecration, elements not provided for in the liturgical texts for the ritual were introduced which appeared to express the modernist vision the new bishop holds regarding certain aspects of Christian life, nature, and the structure of the Church.

There are at least two elements that diverged from the prescriptions of the Roman Pontifical during the consecration Mass. At the moment of the imposition of the Book of the Gospels over the head of the bishop-elect, the rite specifies that this action is to be performed by two deacons. In this celebration, however, the Gospel was held by four individuals: one deacon, one priest, and two female assistants.

This choice is particularly significant in light of Grünwidl’s documented support for expanded ministerial roles for women.

For several years, he was reported to be in some way associated with Aufruf zum Ungehorsam (“Call to Disobedience”), a movement of approximately 350 Austrian priests and deacons. The group urged clergy to disregard Vatican directives on sacramental discipline, including admitting to Holy Communion divorced and civilly “remarried” Catholics and even non-Catholics and individuals under canonical penalties. The group also promoted “self-managed liturgies” with expanded lay participation in preaching and Eucharistic celebrations, as well as the introduction of both a married priesthood and women’s ordination.

Grünwidl’s name no longer appears on the movement’s official register, and he is reported to have distanced himself from it in recent years. No disciplinary measures against members of the group have been announced by the Vatican in recent years.

Furthermore, in an interview given on October 5, 2025, as reported by the website of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Grünwidl stated that “mandatory celibacy is not theologically necessary, all the more so since it is regulated only by canon law, has no dogmatic foundation, and does not exist in other Christian Churches.” Consequently, he said, “it should not be a requirement for admission to the priesthood.”

With regard to the female diaconate, he added that “the discussion should not be suppressed” and that it would be desirable to “include women in the College of Cardinals and thus in the Pope’s most important circle of advisers.”

During the Mass, a second irregularity concerned the handing over of the crosier, the pastoral staff of the bishop symbolizing his episcopal authority. According to the Roman Pontifical, the crosier is to be given directly to the bishop-elect by the consecrating bishop. In Vienna, the crosier was instead passed through several members of the assembly – including laymen, laywomen, priests, and deacons, without a clear order – before being handed to a deacon, who then gave it to the consecrating bishop, and finally to the bishop-elect.

This altered sequence visually emphasized a concept of ecclesial authority as emerging from the gathered community. Such symbolism corresponds with ideas promoted for years within reform movements advocating a decentralized and participatory model of Church governance.

According to Catholic doctrine, the power of Holy Orders is transmitted by God to the bishop immediately and fully in the Rite of Ordination. The power of jurisdiction, on the other hand, is transferred by God to the Pope, who then grants it to the bishop through canonical mission. The crosier is the episcopal symbol of the power of jurisdiction received from God through the Pope (from above), not from God through the people (from below).

However, neither of these liturgical deviations invalidate the episcopal consecration. For validity, a suitable minister, matter, form, the intention to do what the Church means by the rite, and – in the case of ordinations – certain conditions in the recipient (for example, being male and baptized) are required.

The Council of Trent, in Session VII, Canon 11 on the sacraments, teaches that the minister must intend “at least to do what the Church does.” This minimal intention suffices for validity, even when rites are altered unlawfully. Canons 12 and 13 of the same decree explicitly states that those who change the rites of the sacraments certainly sin, but do not render the sacraments invalid unless the essential matter or form is affected.

This doctrine was reaffirmed by Pope Pius XII in Sacramentum Ordinis (1947), which clarified that sacramental validity depends on the correct application of matter and form with the intention to perform the rite as the Church intends it to be performed.

The teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas likewise holds that even a minister holding erroneous beliefs can validly confer a sacrament. This is the case, for example, with Eastern schismatic bishops and priests, whose sacraments are valid, though the doctrinal and sacramental views they hold are heterodox (e.g., semi‑Pelagianism, monopatrism, etc.).

Grünwidl was appointed bishop by Pope Leo XIV on October 17, 2025, succeeding Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, whom he had served as personal secretary from 1995 to 1998. The ordination at St. Stephen’s cathedral followed his appointment on January 22, 2025, by Pope Francis as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Vienna, a role that effectively prepared the way for his episcopal elevation.

The Archdiocese of Vienna is among the most influential sees in Europe. Since at least the mid-19th century, every archbishop of Vienna has been elevated to the College of Cardinals, underscoring the diocese’s importance. As a result, appointments to Vienna have often been interpreted as indicative of a pope’s episcopal agenda.

Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim

Within a generation, the Austrians will take readings from the Koran and have an Iman presiding.

The majority of their public school children do not speak the native language and are not followers of Christ.

And to think the Gates of Vienna held. Now, we have squish.

“However, neither of these liturgical deviations invalidate the episcopal consecration.”

No, but you can’t validly consecrate someone who rejects the teaching of the Church.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

[Catholic Caucus] New Vienna archbishop’s consecration Mass features women in key roles, altered rituals

The heavily altered liturgical rite visually emphasized a concept of ecclesial authority as emerging from the gathered community rather than the Church’s established hierarchy.