[Land of the Irish]

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”.

Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini told the Austria Press Agency that the Holy See had no comment.

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[eastsider]

Roman Catholic leaders ... discovered a vast cache of photos and videos allegedly depicting young priests having sex at a seminary. About 40,000 photographs ...

Looking on the bright side, it's encouraging to learn that there's no shortage of seminarians in Austria ...

[livius]

This is all over the European press this morning. Apparently, Bishop Krenn has also been a strong proponent of doing little or nothing to sex offenders, and was known to have sheltered another bishop who had been removed from his diocese for homosexual activity.

Pretty depressing.

[ultima ratio]

The Vatican will not shut this place down. It will thrive undisturbed, regardless of scandal. Yet Rome sought throughout the eighties to shut down the Econe Seminary in Switzerland for the high crime of being traditionally Catholic. And it sought ways to do this even though its own emissaries reported the seminary was above reproach both doctrinally and morally. Rome was not deterred by such a glowing tribute. It ignored its own report and seized on the pretext that the Archbishop had dared to question the wisdom of Vatican II. It did so even while knowing its own emissaries, the ones doing the evaluation in the first place, themselves publicly had doubted the Virginity of Mary and the Resurrection of Jesus--to the horror of Econe's young semianrians. It was this skepticism regarding actual Catholic dogmas which had led to the Archbishop's outburst--which in turn gave the cardinals in Rome the excuse they needed to shut the seminary down. What hypocrites! Now these same officials will look the other way in the present scandal.

[Mark in the Old South]

I just love the art of understatement.
"Krenn, 68, issued a statement calling the accusations groundless while conceding that he “may have made some wrong personnel decisions” at the seminary."

:-D
Pity it isn't really a laughing matter, but the alternative is to cry.

[AskStPhilomena]

"A group of St. Poelten Diocese officials planned to ask the Vatican to remove Krenn as bishop"

If this bishop is removed (don't hold your breath), it'll probably be because of promotion either to archpriest of a major Roman basilica or to the sacred college of cardinals.

[siunevada]

The story summary at this website indicates police have searched the premises, seized computers and arrested eight:

http://oe1.orf.at/inforadio/35189.html?filter=1

Bishop Kurt Krenn, a conservative churchman

I wonder what makes this guy 'conservative' in the eyes of Europeans?

[broadsword]

I wonder why the usual guy hasn't shown up on this thread to defend these special, gentle preists and seminarians? After all, the "chaste" gays make the best of priests.

That they were caught in the act must give the lavender liberal modernist heretics a sinking feeling.

[Sloth]

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”.

Krenn added, "Let me state categorically that I am not homosexual, nor do we tolerate homosexuality within our ranks. I just enjoy having sex with other men. That doesn't make me gay."

[narses]

The Modern European Church at play. Yuck.

[narses]

Officials seen kissing priests
From correspondents in Vienna
July 13, 2004

PICTURES of authorities at a seminary caressing and kissing student priests have been published by a magazine in a sex scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic church in Austria.

The weekly Profil magazine said prosecutors had opened an investigation into the seminary and had found thousands of photographs on portable computers showing acts of pedophilia and bestiality, as well as numerous pornographic films.

Profil said the scandal at the Sankt Poelten seminary, about 80km west of Vienna, erupted after priests decided to put an end to years of silence about the activities there.

It said the seminary director, Ulrich Kuechl, resigned last week.

His deputy, Wolfgang Rothe, was quoted by the magazine as saying he would also resign, without admitting any guilt.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Close the seminary and burn it to the ground.

[narses]

You asked "how can this be"? I asked the same thing here. Perhaps the answer is APOSTACY?

[ladyinred]

This is a horrible thing, and I would hope that all of you are praying for the souls who are involved. They need prayer desperately.

[Az. Mike]

I am not anti-Catholic, as I realize that abuse can occur in any church or setting, but I will say this: The problems with the Catholic church are an epidemic, aided and abetted by higher ups, who either move dirty priests, from one parish to another or remain silent, in the face of overwhelming evidence. Is the Pope God's representative on Earth, running an organization like this? (And, please. no one give the excuse that the Pope is 'senile' and 'not really' aware of what's going on - it was going on LONG before he became enfeebled, and he did nothing then, either).

[Dajjal]

"Springtime of Evangelization" bump

[narses]

ping.