Papal emissary shuts down Austrian seminary

Vienna, Austria, Aug 11, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Austrian seminary that has been embroiled in a child pornography scandal was shut down this morning by Bishop Klaus Küng, the papal emissary sent to investigate the scandal.

In remarks broadcast on TV, Bishop Küng said that his investigation into the seminary in the Austrian diocese of St. Poelten revealed that those responsible “paid too little attention to selection procedures,” and therefore had admitted too many inadequate candidates.

He expressed his regrets that the seminary had lost track of it’s mission to train young men to serve the Catholic Church.

“A new beginning is necessary,” he said. “I am closing the seminary right away.”

Bishop Küng, who was appointed by the Holy Father to investigate the discovery on the seminary’s computers of 40,000 photographs of child pornography and photos of seminary students and instructors engaged in sexual activity.

He had promised a quick and decisive investigation into the scandal that has caused an uproar in Austria.

Küng is the bishop of the diocese of Feldkirsch , in the southwestern Austrian province of Voralberg.