Austria's first bishop? Cornelia Richter faces Vienna!

Austria's first bishop? Cornelia Richter faces Vienna!

On Friday, May 23, 2025, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Austria has a historical event in front of it: the election of the first bishop. Cornelia Richter, a 54-year-old theology professor at the University of Bonn, is the only candidate for this high office. As vienna.at , judge comes from Bad Goisern and was nominated by all seven superintendial meetings, which shows their broad support within the church. Richter will replace the long -time bishop Michael Chalupka, who will retire at the end of 2025.

The election session of the synod takes place in an Evangelical Realgymnasium in Vienna-Donaustadt, where 70 delegates from all over Austria are entitled to vote. In order to be elected, Richter needs a two -thirds majority, which underlines the challenges and the importance of choice. If the election is successful, she will take office on January 1, 2026. With this she could be the first woman in the history of the Evangelical Church A.B. In Austria, what would be an important step in the church that counts over 237,000 members.

Richter's background and qualifications

Cornelia Richter, who was born on September 3, 1970, is not only academically established, but has also had personal experiences with challenges in life. Her life is shaped by the experience that her husband died early. These experiences flow into their teaching and their commitment as a volunteer. She also taught at the University of Bonn since 2012 and was the first dean of the Evangelical theological Faculty from 2020 to 2024. Since 2024 she has also been the first woman to head the Senate of the University of Bonn. Her research focus is on resilience research, a topic that has gained in the current social situation of relevance, as well as

The new bishop will face important challenges. In addition to the reorganization within the church, it will also be responsible for bringing the different wings of the Protestant community together. The loss of membership, which affects the Evangelical Church, is an urgent problem. Of the 280,000 members in 2018, only around 240,000 Lutheran are left in around 190 parishes. This means a decline that affects both the Evangelical and the Catholic Church, as from the reports of Kleine Zeitung

The context of choice

The choice also has social and cultural context, especially in a country in which the Evangelical Church has a diversified community structure with liberal and evangelical orientations. In addition, the new bishop is asked to check savings potential within the church. Historical tensions, such as the abolition of Good Friday as a holiday for Evangelicals in 2019, also raised challenges that judges have to tackle.

The election session on Friday will not only be a future -oriented decision for the Evangelical Church in Austria, but could also act as an example of the pursuit of equality and renewal within religious communities. The high voltage around the choice is therefore not only a personal event for Cornelia Richter, but also a symbolic moment for many church members who hope for a positive turn in the history of their community.