The seminary at the heart of a child porn scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church in Austria has been closed down by an emissary from Pope John Paul II.
The St. Poelten seminary west of Vienna was ordered closed by Bishop Klaus Kueng, who told the Austrian media the closure was effective immediately on Aug. 11, saying the seminary "veered away" from its assignment to train priests.
The leader of the archdiocese, Bishop Kurt Krenn, has continued to refuse to resign in spite of accelerated pressure. He's dismissed the scandal as schoolboy pranks, but the director and an assistant director of the seminary have both resigned since the scandal broke out.
Kueng was dispatched to investigate the scandal in July – after reports emerged that authorities found 40,000 photographs and numerous videos, including child porn, and showing young seminarians and elder instructors alike engaging in sexual play – and had promised from the outset he would investigate the scandal thoroughly.
When some of the photographs appeared in the Austrian press, according to published reports, it touched off a public uproar that forced the pope to send Kueng to investigate. The situation became even more acute after a 27-year-old Polish-born seminarian was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography for allegedly downloading the material.
