On 20 January 1950, Jáchym was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Vienna and Titular Archbishop of Vienna. He arrived at St. Stephen's Cathedral for what was supposed to be his episcopal consecration on 23 April 1950. However, before the ceremony could take place, he stood up and addressed the congregation, saying that he did not "feel worthy of such an honor", before leaving the cathedral, where a car was waiting for him, and returning to his apartment. Later, canons of the cathedral recalled that the purple robe, the biretta, and shoes he was wearing were not even his, but were borrowed from the cathedral sacristy.
