22. 02. 10. - 16:00

Priest under investigation for child abuse

The Salzburg public prosecutor’s office said today (Mon) it was investigating a priest in Salzburg archdiocese in connection with child abuse.

Office spokeswoman Barbara Feichtinger said the priest, a member of a religious order, had exposed himself to a seven-year-old boy and shown him obscene photos, morally endangering him.

She said the charge against the priest would not be "active sexual behaviour" but violation of paragraph 208 of the criminal code banning "moral endangerment of people younger than 16."

She said proceedings against the priest were pending and the child was being questioned. The media have reported that he has not confirmed the accusations against the priest, so it is still unclear if proceedings will occur.

She added that the boy’s mother had asked the priest for help last September since her son had been acting strangely. The priest agreed to help and convinced the boy’s mother to let him stay overnight with him.

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