Austrian TV claims progressive frog-venerating Bishop is the public's choice to succeed Cardinal Schönborn. Alleged conservative smear campaign
Hermann Glettler has been Bishop of the Diocese of Innsbruck since 2017. The art-loving Styrian is repeatedly being considered as a successor to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. On Monday, June 23, 2025, he will be a guest at the contemporary witness conversation in the Great Landhaus Hall.
Glettler often presents himself as progressive. He advocates for the ordination of women as deacons, communion for divorced and remarried people, and is positive about the ordination of married men as priests. Glettler said he was disappointed that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared the blessing of same-sex couples impossible in the future.
Glettler seeks dialogue with the disadvantaged, the marginalized, and refugees. Since a trip to the refugee camps on the island of Lesbos several years ago, he has appealed to the government to allow churches and aid organizations to take in 100 families from the refugee camps. He argues that the Greek islands have become synonymous with the failure of European refugee policy.
In Austria, he is still the preferred candidate for the office of archbishop of the resigned Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.