Military Ordinariate of Austria
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Military Ordinariate of Austria Ordinariatus Militaris Austriae Militärordinariat von Österreich |
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St. George's Cathedral, Burg Wiener Neustadt
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| Location | |
| Country | Austria |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Population - Catholics |
100 000 |
| Parishes | 21 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | Military bishopric in 1773 Military vicariate in 1959 Military ordinariate in 1986 |
| Cathedral | St George's Cathedral in Wiener Neustadt |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Werner Freistetter |
| Vicar General | Leszek Ryzka |
| Emeritus Bishops | Christian Werner |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
The Military Ordinariate of Austria (German: Militärseelsorge Österreich, Latin: Ordinariatus Militaris Austriae) is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church.
Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Austrian Armed Forces and their families.
The Theresian Military Academy had been founded at the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Austria by Empress Maria Theresa in 1751. Twenty-two years, the empress created the office of military bishop in 1773, and that it was to be held by the bishop of Wiener Neustadt. However, the Diocese of Wiener Neustadt was abolished in 1785 and merged with the Archdiocese of Vienna. The last bishop of Wiener Neustadt, Johann Heinrich von Kerens, became the first bishop of Sankt Pölten. After the First World War, there was a gap over fifty years without any military bishops being appointed.
On 21 February 1959, a military vicariate was established, with Cardinal Franz König, Archbishop of Vienna appointed as the first military vicar. By the apostolic constitution decree "Spirituali militum curae", it was raised to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986.
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