Austrian Bishops' Conference
The Austrian Bishops' Conference is an existing public corporation since 1849 intended to represent the Roman Catholic Church against the Austrian government. It owns all diocesan bishops, auxiliary bishops and the abbot of territorial abbey Wettingen-Mehrerau. It is a member of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences.
The Bishops' conference is also the official Catholic news agency Kathpress. The Secretary General of the Conference of Bishops is Peter Shipka.
Members
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn OP, archbishop of Vienna, Chairman of the Bishops' Conference: Chairman of the Doctrinal Commission and the Catechetical Commission, member of the Finance Commission Agendas: Church and State, CCEE, ecumenism, persecuted Christians, students, professional pastoral work Canisius. Member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.
Klaus Küng, the diocesan bishop of St. Pölten, Chairman of the Finance Commission. Agendas: family, IMABE, protection of life, church hospitals, liturgy. Member of the Congregation for the Clergy, consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Alois Schwarz, diocesan bishop of Gurk, a member of the Catechetical Commission Agendas: Sanctified Service, seminaries, general pastoral care, the environment, lay apostolate, minor seminaries.
Ludwig Schwarz SDB, Bishop of Linz, Agendas: Mission and Development, Justice and Peace, business seminar in Linz, Catholic Social Academy, Pro Europe, member of the Faith and Finance Commission.
Manfred Scheuer, Bishop of Innsbruck, agendas: Member of the Commission's faith, ecumenism, adult education, charity, Pax Christi Austria.
Giles J. Zsifkovics, diocesan bishop of Eisenstadt, agendas: Bauorden, Roma and Sinti.
Benno Elbs, diocesan bishop of Feldkirch
Anselm van der Linde OCist, Abbot of Wettingen-Mehrerau, agendas: a member of the Catechetical Commission.
Andreas Laun OSFS, Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg, and titular bishop of Libertina, a member of Faith Commission Agendas: Religious Movements, Life Protection, Austrian library work. Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care.
Franz Lackner, OFM, Archbishop of Salzburg, agendas: a member of the Doctrinal Commission, Charismatic Renewal, church and sports.
Franz Scharl, Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna and titular bishop of Ierafi; member of the Catechetical Commission Agendas: foreign ministry.
Anton Leichtfried, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Pölten and Titular Bishop of Rufiniana, Unit: Sanctified Service (with: priests, priest training, priests' councils, "Distributio Cleri," Permanent deacons, training of deacons); Austrian Catholic Biblical Association, Theological Distance Learning.
Stephan Turnovszky, Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna and titular bishop of Ancusa, agendas: children's and youth ministry.
Former members
The following bishops, mostly for reasons of age, completed their functions and are therefore not members of the Austrian Bishops' Conference (in alphabetical order):
Maximilian Aichern OSB (born 26 December 1932), Diocesan bishop of Linz from 1982 to 2005
Georg Eder (born March 6, 1928), Archbishop of Salzburg from 1989 to 2002
Elmar Fischer (born 6 October 1936), bishop of Feldkirch 2005-2011
Paul Iby (born 23 January 1935), Bishop of Eisenstadt 1992-2010
Egon Kapellari (born 12 January 1936) Diocesan Bishop of Gurk-Klagenfurt 1982-2001, Diocesan Bishop of Graz-Seckau 2001-2015
Alois Kothgasser (born May 29,1937), Bishop of Innsbruck 1997-2002; Archbishop of Salzburg 2003-2013
Helmut Krätzl (born October 23, 1931), Auxiliary Bishop of Vienna from 1977 to 2008
Kassian Lauterer OCist (born 29 January 1934), Abbot of Wettingen-Mehrerau 1968-2009
Johann Weber (born 26 April 1927), Bishop of Graz-Seckau 1969-2001, Chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conference from 1995 to 1998
Christian Werner, military Bishop of Austria (1994-2015) and Titular Bishop of Wiener Neustadt (since 1997)
Chairman
Cardinal Theodore Innitzer, Archbishop of Vienna
Cardinal Franz König, Archbishop of Vienna (1973-1985)
Karl Berg, archbishop of Salzburg (1985-1989)
Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, OSB, Archbishop of Vienna (1989-1995)
Johann Weber, Bishop of Graz-Seckau (1995-1998)
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn OP, archbishop of Vienna (since 1998)