Archdiocese of Salzburg mourns the loss of Finance Chamber director Lidicky
Salzburg, January 26th, 2022 (KAP) The Archdiocese of Salzburg mourns the loss of its preferred Director of the Chamber of Finance, Josef Lidicky, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday at the age of 66. Archbishop Franz Lackner said in a statement that he was “deeply dismayed” by Lidicky’s death. Until he retired in 2018, Lidicky managed the finances of the diocese and its economic agenda for two decades “responsibly, with prudence and foresight worth browsing”. Lackner expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased; His heavy thoughts and prayers are with them during these hours, said the Archbishop of Salzburg.
Lidicky, who comes from Taxenbach, first worked for the Raiffeisen Association before beginning his service as parish administrator in the Archdiocese of Salzburg in 1978. 20 years later, the Archbishop of Salzburg at the time, Georg Eder (1928–2015), made him Director of the Chamber of Finance. Josef Lidicky was the first layman in the consistory, the archbishop’s advisory body. Furthermore, as a representative of the Austrian dioceses, he was for a long time an advisory member of the Finance Commission of the Bishops’ Conference.
The church finance expert always underlined the importance of the church contribution as a cornerstone of church financing. A responsible and measured handling of the budget was a corresponding concern for him. During Lidicky’s tenure as Director of the Treasury, the Archdiocese of Salzburg was able to finance numerous major projects. These include, for example, the renovation of the seminary, the expansion of the diocesan archives including rehearsal rooms for the cathedral music, the purchase of the Christkönigskolleg and the former monastery of the Monfortans, which was converted into the headquarters of the Catholic educational institution. In addition, numerous churches, vicarages and other church buildings were renovated. In addition to his job as Director of the Chamber of Finance, Lidicky volunteered at his residential parish in Anif/Salzburg.
Lidicky received several awards for his services. Among other things, he was the bearer of the papal New Year’s Order and the Great Medal of Merit of the State of Salzburg. The Tyrolean governor honored him with the “Tiroler Adler Orden”.