Heiligenkreuz Abbot Heim resigns role as Austrian Cistercian Abbot President on health grounds

Heiligenkreuz Abbot Heim resigns as Abbot President

In Turbulent Times

Abbot Maximilian Heim of Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria has resigned from his position as Abbot President of the Austrian Cistercians. Health problems are cited as the reason. New elections have already been announced.

This was confirmed to the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Wednesday morning by the acting head of the Cistercian Congregation, Abbot Reinhold Dessl of Wilhering Abbey. Dessl cited Heim's health problems as the reason. New elections will be held soon, Dessl stated.

Heiligenkreuz Abbot resigns as Abbot President

Heiligenkreuz Abbey in the Vienna Woods has been increasingly in the headlines in recent weeks. In June, the Vatican announced an apostolic visitation of the abbey. The responsible dicastery in Rome announced in a letter that it had received information concerning the management and administration of the monastery. The aim of the visit is to follow up on these information. The visit is scheduled to begin in the fall.

Public prosecutor's office also investigating

The Wiener Neustadt public prosecutor's office is also investigating the monastery. The author of anonymous letters sent to several institutions in Austria is being sought. According to the State Criminal Police Office, these letters allege sexual abuse and violation of the seal of confession in the monastery's environment. The monastery itself reported the letters.

The Austrian Cistercian Congregation (Latin: Congregatio Austriaca) is an association of Cistercian monasteries in Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Its roots date back to the 17th century, when several monasteries in present-day Austria merged to form the Vicariate of Austria.

Source

Update- Statement from Heiligenkreuz

*** Abbot Maximilian on the way to recovery ***
On Monday, Abbot Maximilian was admitted to a hospital in Vienna with a heart problem. Thank God he is on the road to recovery and will hopefully be released soon again. Due to his still impaired health and the current challenges in the diocese of Heiligenkreuz, he decided to give the office as abbot president of the Austrian Cistercian congregation into younger hands, in order to be able to be there as abbot for the community in the Diocese of Heilengkreuz in the coming weeks and months.
Abbot Maximilian was elected by the congregational chapter in 2016 as well as 2022 as the Abbot Press of the Austrian Cistercian Congregation, which includes the abbey of Wilhering , Heiligenkreuz , Zwettl, Rein , Schlierbach and the Priorat Hohenfurt (Vyšš Brod) in Bohemia.