11 Facts About Ludwig Schwarz

Ludwig Schwarz was the first of nine children and grew up in Most pri Bratislave.

Ludwig Schwarz attended a gymnasium in Vienna for a time, but switched to the Salesian school in Ebreichsdorf-Unterwaltersdorf at the age of fourteen.

Ludwig Schwarz was assigned a two-year teaching practicum; for the first year he served as a general assistant in Ebreichsdorf, and the second at the Schulerheim Vinzentinum in Klagenfurt.

Ludwig Schwarz studied philosophy in Ebreichsdorf and Catholic theology in Klagenfurt; from 1961 to 1964 he studied at Benediktbeuern Theological College.

Ludwig Schwarz afterwards served briefly as assistant chaplain at a parish church in Graz.

Ludwig Schwarz then studied classical philology and archeology at the University of Vienna, and was the hospital chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Ludwig Schwarz was appointed the Diocesan Bishop of Linz on 6 July 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI; he assumed that office on 18 September.

Ludwig Schwarz put an end to some of the liberal practices of his predecessor, Maximilian Aichern.

Ludwig Schwarz enforced Catholic teaching that prohibited baptisms and preaching by lay people, and was more stringent about norms for the reception of the Eucharist.

One of the biggest challenges Ludwig Schwarz had to face was the controversy over the nomination of Gerhard Maria Wagner as auxiliary bishop of the diocese, known for his view that Hurricane Katrina was a punishment for New Orleans' sins.

Ludwig Schwarz's retirement was accepted on 18 Nov 2015 and thus Schwarz is the Bishop Emeritus of Linz.