Vatican investigator closes Austrian seminary where porno was found

Published: 2004-08-12

SANKT POLTEN, Austria (CNS) -- In consultation with the Vatican and the local bishop, a Vatican-appointed investigator has announced the closing of the seminary in the Diocese of Sankt Polten "effective immediately." Austrian Bishop Klaus Kung of Feldkirch, whom Pope John Paul II appointed to investigate the diocese and its seminary where thousands of pornographic photographs had been found on computers, made the announcement Aug. 12. The bishop, in a statement published on the Sankt Polten diocesan Web site, said "several" of the seminarians were healthy, holy, committed men who would be assisted in finding a new place to continue their studies for the priesthood. "Unfortunately," the bishop said, "serious erroneous trends" were found among many of the seminarians. He cited in particular the practice of viewing and downloading pornography from the Internet and the development of "active homosexual relations" among members of the seminary community.

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