Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides News Agency) - On June 8, 2026, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), appointed, Father Johannes Laichner of the Diocese of Innsbruck, as Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Austria, for a five-year term (2026-2031).
Born on July 9, 1982, the new director of the Austrian PMS, who begins his mandate today, holds a doctorate in Catholic theology (2008) and a doctorate in classical archaeology (2011). At the beginning of his ministry, he served as parish priest of Roppen and other parishes. Since 2019, he has been the diocesan director of the PMS for Innsbruck, and since 2021, he has been parish priest of Karres, Karrösten, Mils, and Roppen. He has been involved in several missionary initiatives in the field of fundraising, including a missionary trip to Cameroon.
Passionate about publishing and communications, he has published, among other things, the biography of Saint Engelbert Kolland.
(EG) (Fides News Agency, 1/9/2026)
