The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Austria is expected to elect its first female bishop on Friday, the Austrian APA agency reported, BTA reports.
The candidate for the post is Cornelia Richter, 54, a theology professor from the town of Bad Goisern who currently teaches at the University of Bonn.
The synod will be held at a Protestant high school in Vienna, with 70 delegates having the right to vote. Richter has been nominated to succeed the current bishop Michael Chalupka, who is retiring at the end of the year.
The election requires a qualified majority - two-thirds of the votes. Before that, in seven sessions, the delegates discussed the candidacies. The bishop is elected for a term of 12 years. If elected, Richter would be the first woman to hold this position in the history of the Evangelical Church in Austria.
Before the first vote, Richter will present herself to the delegates. A hearing has already been held. She was born on September 3, 1970 in Upper Austria. From 2020 to 2024, she was the first female dean of the Faculty of Protestant Theology, and from 2024, she will also be the first female chairwoman of the University of Bonn. In addition to the field of theology and dogmatics, Richter is also active in interdisciplinary research on sustainable development.
Michael Chalupka, the current bishop since September 2019, will retire on July 21 when he turns 65. A former director of the humanitarian organization "Diakonie", he has repeatedly stated his support for a woman to lead the church.