Chancellor could be charged with embezzlement

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Politics

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann is still facing abuse of office charges, it emerged yesterday (Thurs). The Chief Prosecution of Vienna (OStA) announced it advised prosecutors to keep examining whether Faymann applied pressure on state-funded railroad company Federal Railways (ÖBB) over a series of ads in Austria’s most popular newspaper. There have been contradictory […]

Schönborn failed to act, abuse victim claims

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General News

The highest representative of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria has been accused of keeping quiet about a case of sexual abuse. A lawyer said yesterday (Mon) he will launch legal action against Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn. The advocate’s client explained she consulted Schönborn in 1994 to tell him of sexual abuse by a […]

Doc ‘took pictures of patients’ genitals’

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General News

A doctor is suspected of having taken pictures of female patients’ private parts, according to a Viennese newspaper.Free daily paper Heute reported today (Fri) that the physician is accused in a letter to health authorities of having photographed women’s genitals. It is also claimed that the man molested female staff at the Wilhelminen Hospital in […]

Pro Juventute hit by abuse accusations

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General News

Prosecutors are investigating after it has been claimed carers tortured kids at a children’s home in Styria for years, it emerged today (Fri).Police and state prosecutors in Leoben started looking into accusations that five children, aged between five and 13 were forced to stand in the snow with bare feet for 15 minutes during the […]

Study shows most priests want end of celibacy

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General News

A majority of Austrian Catholic priests want celibacy to be abolished, a survey has revealed.Researchers from Kepler University in the Upper Austrian city of Linz said today (Weds) 59 per cent of the clergy they spoke to said they backed the idea of putting an end to the ruling. Study leaders said they interviewed 406 […]

Fritzl victims lawyer attacks Church over abuse claims

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General News

A top lawyer has accused the Catholic Church of focusing on damage limitation instead of trying to help the hundreds of victims of abuse at the Church’s institutions.Around 700 people got in touch with psychologists via new and existing hotlines to report their sex and violence abuse ordeals when serving as altar boys, choristers and […]

Greens want €100mn for Catholic Church abuse victims

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Politics

The Greens have called for a 100-million-Euro victims fund for people suffering abuse at Catholic institutions.The party’s juridical issues spokesman Albert Steinhauser said yesterday (Mon) 100 million Euros should be the first benchmark before discussing further action.Steinhauser accused the government coalition – formed by the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the People’s Party (ÖVP) – of […]

Sex abuse protester poses as crucified Jesus

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Lifestyle

Dozens of cops and firemen were kept busy by an odd performance from an artist protesting against sex abuse by Catholic Church clergy in Vienna today (Fri).Hundreds of passersby and tourists gathered at the square in front of St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) – one of the city’s main tourist attractions – when at 10am this […]

Majority says Pope should resign

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General News

A vast majority of Austrians think the Pope should step down were there a rule that enabled him to do so.Vienna-based public opinion research agency Karmasin found that 57 per cent of Austrians are of the opinion Pope Benedict XVI should resign amid sex abuse incidents at Catholic institutions across Europe.Only 34 per cent of […]

Day of Repent for sexual abuse at Vienna cathedral

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General News

Vienna Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn will preside at a “day of repentance” service today (Weds) in the wake of revelations of numerous cases of violence and sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy.His office said yesterday that the service at 7pm at Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral would constitute “an acknowledgement of guilt in the […]