Posted on 07/12/2004 10:26:32 AM PDT by Land of the Irish
Roman Catholic leaders in Austria called an emergency meeting today after officials discovered a vast cache of photos and videos allegedly depicting young priests having sex at a seminary.
About 40,000 photographs and an undisclosed number of films, including child pornography, were downloaded on computers at the seminary in St Poelten, about 50 miles west of Vienna, the respected news magazine Profil reported.
Officials with the local diocese declined to comment but were meeting privately on the scandal, Austrian state television reported.
It said the seminary’s director, the Rev Ulrich Kuechl, and his deputy, Wolfgang Rothe, had resigned.
The Austrian Bishops Conference issued a statement today pledging a full and swift investigation.
“Anything that has to do with homosexuality or pornography has no place at a seminary for priests,” it said.
Church officials discovered the material on a computer at the seminary, Profil said. It published several images purportedly showing young priests and their instructors kissing and fondling each other and engaging in orgies and sex games.
The child porn came mostly from web sites based in Poland, the magazine said.
Bishop Kurt Krenn, a conservative churchman who oversees the St Poelten Diocese, told Austrian television he had seen photos of seminary leaders in sexual situations with students. Krenn, however, dismissed the photos as “silly pranks” that “had nothing to do with homosexuality”.
A group of St. Poelten Diocese officials planned to ask the Vatican to remove Krenn as bishop, Austrian radio reported.
Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini told the Austria Press Agency that the Holy See had no comment.
Krenn, 68, issued a statement calling the accusations groundless while conceding that he “may have made some wrong personnel decisions” at the seminary.
I don't think that's an accurate statement of his position. In fact, for Archbishop Lefebvre, the Latin Mass was not even his biggest issue. He actually cared more about some other aspects of Vatican II such as religious liberty and ecumenism. The article that got him suspended by Pope Paul VI was titled "Do we have to become protestants in order to stay in the Catholic Church?" He pointed to "Dignitatis Humanae" and other documents of Vatican II as equally destructive of the faith along with the New Mass. And there aren't thousands of Vatican II documents, only about a dozen.(I went and counted to be sure, and there are 7 major documents and 9 decrees.)
It was the vagueness that made it dangerous and only because the infection was so deep and prominent.
Vagueness in a magisterial document is a capital offense. It's just as bad as , or sometimes even worse than outright heresy.
Although most people were very Catholic,Austria had over 92% baptized Catholics,which was the highest per centage of Catholics in Europe and the highest literacy rate in Europe,(over 90%)but it was very polarized,when one scratched beneatht the surface. I offer that per centage tidbit because if flies in the face of generally accepted information,i.e.Catholic nations are poor and uneducated. Austria was neither.
Many tour guides spoke of the Catholicity of the country,mentioning specifically that after the war,Soviet troops were all over the country and intended to stay as they had in Hungary,Czechoslovakia,Poland etc. The Cardinal/archbishop of Vienna asked that Austrians pray a Rosary and ask for Mary's intervention to save them from Communism. The story goes that on the first Sunday after this appeal,the Soviets withdrew their troops and vanished. All of the cemetaries had fresh flowers on every grave.And yet,about every fourth bus driver,tour guide or museum curator would be very demeaning and dismissive of the country's religiosity and mention bishops of the past who bought their positions to name just one offense that was mentioned frequently. Most involved greed and avarice.I will say that except for Crazy Ludwig there was no mention of homosexuality as one of the major problems in the Church. Nonetheless,it was apparent that there were deep divisions in the population. So I guess I am not surprised at this turn of events although I am heartbroken. I would say there were some catholics in "deep cover" there.
One more comment which may be a little off point but as you know or may not,I have spent the last ten years attending all sorts of catechism classes,catholic forums and conferences,lectures and celebratory Masses in order to relate to kindred Catholics or to know the enemy and also to present Catholic teaching by questioning facilitators and change agents. Interesting to me,there was another couple I ran into pretty frequently at various parishes and diocesan events. They were major "progressives",spoke with pretty heavy accents and I learned were Austrian. They were clearly very bright and I wanted to know them better but I was hesitant to pursue her invitation because I knew I was not well intentioned and that kind of seemed unethical.
To this day I really wonder about Cardinal Groer from Austria who was accused of the child abuse. He followed Koenig who was one of the wonder boys of Vat II and a darling of the Liberal progressive wing. It will be very interesting to follow this story wherever it leads.
"These are not attacks. Ask the Mods to rule. They'll most likely pull the thread. "
You'd love to have this thread pulled, wouldn't you?
Not now. Fun's over.
And some here celebrate the wonderful reforms and plentiful fruit of VII and its Novus Ordo Mass in their efforts to sink the Church.That gay orgy seminary IS the fruit of Vatican II.
Yup - you got it right! But the saddest thing is not that a corrupt hierarchy will not properly discipline its erring members, but that the people in the pews are too cowardly or dim witted to stand up and be counted. They will not say "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore". No, like dumb sheeple, they will obediently pay, pay, and pay. PLEASE WAKE UP, FELLOW CATHOLICS! A fallen hierarchy hears nothing but the sound of coins in their coffers. Starve the rats out of their holes - cut the dissident priests and bishops off without a penny!
They have done as much to their fellow priests, nuns, religious, and lay employees who hold true to the faith; just cast them aside like they were rubbish. It is high time to stop turning the other cheek, and throw the bums out - or rather starve them out! They only love money, and their worldly, profligate lifestyle. So.....hit them where it hurts! It is absolutely morally wrong for a Catholic to financially support apostate priests and bishops. For by your support, you are enabling and cooperating with their heresies, blaphemies, and the leading of souls away from the faith by their erroneous teachings. Please think about that - the next time the Feminazi nuns or the liberal effeminate priests want your money. Are they going to use it wisely according ot the mind of Christ? Of course not! So, be not a fool! Support only orthodox, moral priests, bishops, and apostolates.
Its not relevant. I think we are dealing with nothing other then a "shill" for the Novus Ordo liberal lavendar establishment. I would delight in intelligent debate with any liberal - or anyone who does not share my views. But half truths and baiting are not debating material. They are the defense of those who have no defense.
"I would delight in intelligent debate with any liberal - or anyone who does not share my views. But half truths and baiting are not debating material. They are the defense of those who have no defense."
Excuse me, but the set, "those who have no defense," includes the set, "liberals."
That would seem to preclude any possibility of intelligent debate with a liberal.
Perhaps someone will correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that the Jews practice this tradition at least they did for generations. Perhaps that is why the Catholic Church did the same at one time. Nothing sinister about this IMHO.
On balance, this pope has done more harm than good. In fact, the good has been minimal.
Sorry, I can't agree with your assessment in its entirety. We must remember that this is the era of the Fatima "or" (as Fatima gave the pope of 1960 and "rither/or" propsition. He chose "or" - and we are now living under the effect of that "or". There is a diabolic disorientation of the mind which is affecting all men, and particulaly the clergy. This Pope - even though he is under the special protection of Mary - is still mortal, and can be misled, swayed into making mistakes. And he certainly has. But not because he is himself evil - but because he is human. This does not excuse him for responsibility for what has happened these 25 years under his watch. Realize also, that now as a feeble old man, his enemies in the Vatican can get away with more, as they have more power, and he is less able to resist them. If he has erred, it has certainly been on the side of love and tolerance - perhaps foolishly. This I would agree with. But he is "the last pope of these Catholic times". And the one to come after him may well be the Antipope of history, according to prophecy. So, before he leaves us - flawed though he is - John Paul is trying to prepare us for the future. I dont agree with all he has done, But I do agree with the charity and love he has shown. Remember, the words of Christ to St. Peter: "when you are old, others will dress you and lead you where you would not go".
"Communism fell in on itself, helped along by two very courageous men...Reagan & Gorbachev."
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Wow, courageous ...Reagan & Gorbachev?
They risked so much I bet their "courage" will never be matched again in the future history.
Are you courageous, torq?
"Vat II was the signal that the modernists were now in the driver's seat rather than operating as the disloyal opposition."
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Only if you see the Western world alone. Only if you hear deacon Charlie say drivel about the "spirit of Vat.2" in a sermon. A lot of good things happened after Vat.2 besides Sr. Suzie and Sr. Marjorie discover their "vocations" to the priesthood.
frnk=Since Jun 29, 2004
A certain special deacon, by any other name, would smell so sweet.
"The camera angle gives the illusion Padre Pio celebrated that Mass facing the people"
"Padre Pio celebrated only one transitional Mass in the mid 60s. He broke down and wept."
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If you see only what you want to see, that is your choice. I posted a picture to prove the point and you posted your wishful thinking.
If you read anything about Padre Pio you would've known that during his Masses, which lasted 2-3 hours, he frequently broke into tears - for whatever reasons, none of them being the Vat.2. or women without hats.
http://www2.marian.org/thebulletin/issues/issue180/article180206.html
Thanks for the welcome, BS.
LOL
You should do a little research: giving credit to Gorbachev but none to John Paul is just incredible.
Shall I take your second childish personal attack and name calling stunt as an admission that you cannot answer any of my questions?
Why don't you top it off with another of your slanderous false accusations... again.
Try this: debate the facts and arguments.
What the hell does an audience with Gorbachev have to do with it?
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