Archbishop confirms departure of priest with mission to party

Cathedral Priest Faber to Retire

He is a true institution in Vienna, both as cathedral priest and as a participant in many social events: Toni Faber. Today, Archbishop Josef Grünwidl of Vienna confirmed on ORF radio that Faber will retire in 2027 after 30 years of service.

With 30 years in office, Faber has "set a record," said Grünwidl. The cathedral parish will be filled by summer 2027, and Faber will retire as cathedral priest. In recent days, there had been media speculation about Faber's early dismissal.

Faber emphasized on ORF radio that he sees his future continuing in church service and wants to continue his "mediating, bridging role between church, faith, society, politics, business, art, and culture." He mentioned city ministry as a possible future task. He is currently in intensive discussions with Gründwidl about his future.

Criticism within the church has recently increased

Faber was appointed in 1997. At the beginning of the week, Faber told the daily newspaper "Standard" that, contrary to his initial stance, he could now imagine retiring as Cathedral Priest. He is entitled to this upon reaching his 65th birthday. Due to the shortage of clergy, however, many priests remain parish priests in Catholic communities well beyond this age.

Recently, Faber had faced increasing criticism within the Church for his public appearances accompanied by a woman. His public appearances had previously met with little approval within the Church. Faber, who served as archbishop's master of ceremonies under Hans Hermann Groer and later under Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, was heavily involved in high society circles. However, Faber's outspoken support for a more liberal approach to celibacy is considered largely irrelevant to his departure, which was pushed through by Grünwidl, on his 30th anniversary of service.

Source

Cathcon:  The modernists are threatening public protests.   They love Faber more than Christ.

“He’s dynamic, agile and fit, and he’s excellent at pastoral care. Demoting him is simply out of the question. Are we supposed to make him retire at 65? For heaven’s sake!” says former businesswoman Rosemarie Hofer, who holds a position of special responsibility as a parish council member on the five-person leadership team of St Stephen’s Cathedral Parish.  From Die Presse