Vienna, September 10, 2025 (Cape) – ORF III will broadcast a historic “Divine Liturgy” live from St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna on Wednesday at 6 p.m., marking the first time a service in the Byzantine rite will be celebrated within the cathedral’s walls by nearly 70 bishops representing various Catholic Eastern Churches.The two-hour service is the centerpiece of a multi-day event bringing together leaders from Eastern Catholic communities across Europe, including Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Fülöp Kocsis, head of the Greek Catholic Church of Hungary, and Metropolitan Jonas Jozef Maxim, leading the Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia. Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, and Archbishop Gintaras Grusas, President of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences in Europe (CCE), are also among the prominent participants. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Ordinarius for the Catholic Eastern Churches in Austria, will deliver the sermon, accompanied by the choir of the Collegium Germanicum Orientale Eichstätt.
this unprecedented gathering underscores the growing importance of inter-church dialog and the unique spiritual heritage of eastern Catholicism. ORF religion journalist Sandra Szabo and Eastern Church expert Georg Schimmerl from the Archdiocese of Vienna will provide commentary during the broadcast.
Prior to the liturgy,the bishops engaged in internal consultations and visited Klosterneuburg abbey on Tuesday. They were also received by Nuncio archbishop pedro López Quintana at the Apostolic Nunciature in Vienna,where he highlighted the centennial anniversary of diplomatic relations between Austria and Rome. Cardinal Schönborn echoed the sentiment,praising the strong ties between the two nations. The bishops’ meeting is centered around the theme of “Unity in Diversity,” addressing both internal church matters and broader socio-political concerns.
