Before the Conclave, the Pope visited Cardinal Schönborn in Vienna to discuss the Cardinal's successor

The new Pope visited Schönborn last Autumn for a delicate discussion.

The current Pope has visited Vienna several times. In Autumn, he discreetly visited Schönborn – the topic was the new Archbishop in Vienna. At that time, Prevost was still head of human resources at the Vatican.

Tourists stream in large numbers through the narrow Augustinerstrasse in the center of Vienna. Few look up to catch a glimpse of the inconspicuous church, which is literally wedged between the Albertina, the National Library, and the Spanish Riding School. When tourists enter the Augustinian Church, it's primarily to visit the Habsburgs' crypt, to attend one of the popular concert masses with music by Mozart, Schubert, or Haydn, or to visit the tomb of Abraham a Sancta Clara. Next to the portal on Josefsplatz hangs a poster with a color photo of the new pope and a "Habemus Papam." Around the corner is the inconspicuous entrance to the Augustinian monastery, diagonally opposite the Viennese editorial office of the Kleine Zeitung.

The new Pope has been in and out of the Augustinian monastery for the past two decades, most recently visiting Vienna in the Autumn of 2024. Almost seven decades ago, the mendicant order settled at this location, and the American cardinal was the main celebrant at the consecration feast on All Saints' Day. "I don't even know how often he was with us," says Prior Dominic Sadrawetz in conversation, not wanting to commit to a number. Six, ten, twelve times? "He always felt very comfortable here." Sadrawetz perceived Prevost, who had worked in Latin America for decades, primarily as a pastor who always reached out to people: "He always sought contact and dialogue with people from all social classes here, too." How did he react when he learned of the election of his longtime boss? "It was joyful speechlessness."

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost served for more than ten years as Prior General of the Augustinians, one of the four medieval mendicant orders alongside the Franciscans, Dominicans, and Carmelites. Joseph II had also completely dissolved this order, and in 1951, monks expelled from the Sudetenland settled in the Augustinian monastery in Vienna – it is the only one of its kind in all of Austria, with a total of three Augustinians.

On All Saints' Day 2024, the American Cardinal also visited Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in the Archbishop's Palace in the evening hours. "It wasn't a secret visit," said an insider, "but everything was handled discreetly." There were important matters to be discussed very discreetly. As head of the Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost oversaw all bishop appointments. Schönborn's term as Archbishop of Vienna ended in January 2025. Why no successor has been enthroned yet remains unclear. "He knows the situation in Vienna very well, which could speed things up," Schönborn said yesterday in a press conference. "But because he knows the case so well, he also understands the complexity of the matter, and that's why it could take longer."

The cardinal also couldn't provide details about another rumor – that they had agreed on three candidates, including the American, in the pre-conclave. Prevost's brother had spoken in a TV interview about a telephone conversation with the current pope during the pre-conclave.

Styrian Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl also had dealings with the US cardinal, who serves as the Catholic Church's human resources director, when it came to the new auxiliary bishop. "He listened attentively, we exchanged our perspectives, and he clearly stated what still needed to be done." Salzburg's Archbishop Franz Lackner was scheduled to fly to Rome in the next few days to meet with Prevost about Schönborn's successor.

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