At the age of 82

Salzburg’s former auxiliary bishop Andreas Laun dies

Andreas Laun, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Salzburg, has died.

(Bild: APA/ROBERT J€GER)

The retired Salzburg Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Laun died on New Year's Eve at the age of 82 in the Schloss Kahlsperg retirement home. This was announced by the Archdiocese of Salzburg on Wednesday. Laun was Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg from 1995 to 2017 and had lived in seclusion in Salzburg since his retirement.

Laun, who was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and consecrated bishop by Archbishop Georg Eder, was known as a hardliner in the Catholic Church. In addition to his advocacy against abortion, he also repeatedly made a name for himself with controversial statements: he railed against "gender ideology", which he once described as a lie of the devil, like National Socialism and Communism, and against same-sex partnerships.

With his statements on homosexuality or problematic comparisons with the Nazis, he not only offended those affected and the faithful, but also many fellow bishops.

"Advocate for life"
Archbishop Franz Lackner paid tribute to Laun on Wednesday as "an upright and unwavering advocate for life, especially in its most vulnerable moments". His faith had given him the steadfastness to "always raise his voice without hesitation", Lackner told Kathpress. Laun had "served the archdiocese of Salzburg as an auxiliary bishop with dedication for over 22 years".

With his passing, our country has not only lost a great personality, but also an extraordinary person who has dedicated his life and work entirely to the service of God and the Church.

Peter Haubner (ÖVP)

The second President of the National Council, Peter Haubner (ÖVP), expressed his "sadness and sorrow" on Wednesday. "In him, our country has not only lost a great personality, but also a very extraordinary person who dedicated his life and work entirely to the service of God and the Church," said Haubner in a written statement.

Moved to Salzburg in 1945
Laun was born in Vienna in 1942 and his family moved to Salzburg in 1945. After graduating from the Borromäum high school, he entered the novitiate of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in Eichstätt in 1962 and took his perpetual vows in 1966. He was ordained a priest in Eichstätt in 1967. He worked as an educator, chaplain and religion teacher and completed his doctorate in Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1973. He later habilitated in moral theology at the University of Vienna and taught at Heiligenkreuz College and the Salesian Don Bosco College in Benediktbeuern in Bavaria.