| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Today
Polls
RSS Feed General News31. 03. 10. - 14:00
Day of Repent for sexual abuse at Vienna cathedral
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 name of the Church."
The office added that members of some organisations critical of Schönborn, such as "We are the Church," had been invited to attend it.
Schönborn, the titular head of the Austrian Catholic Church and chairman of the Austrian Bishops Conference, will say Mass, and victims of clerical abuse will talk about their experiences.
The special service comes in the wake of hundreds of recent reports of clerical abuse.
There have been 566 reports of various kinds of abuse by clergy at the Catholic Church’s ombudsman’s offices this year, it was announced yesterday.
Vienna archdiocese has had the highest number, 174, followed by Innsbruck diocese with 115. More than half of them can no longer be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations.
Cases of sexual abuse constitute 27 per cent of these, cases of violence 26 per cent. More than half of them require further investigation, according to the media.
Schönborn’s first reaction to the reports was to announce during a TV interview on Sunday that former Styrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Governor Waltraud Klasnic would head a commission dealing with victims of Catholic Church abuse, but the news was met with harsh criticism.
Parish priest Rudolf Schermann, who publishes Catholic magazine Kirche In, said: "I would have preferred an objective atheist." Schermann said no one could expect independent work from Klasnic since she had "strong links" to the Catholic Church.
Social Democratic (SPÖ) juridical issues spokesman Hannes Jarolim branded Klasnic’s nomination "unacceptable. She is not objective in this matter and is not a lawyer," Jarolim said yesterday.
Various hotlines set up by independent platforms to give victims of violence and sexual abuse by Catholic Church clergy a chance to talk about what they experienced have received hundreds of calls over the past few weeks.
A recent Integral Institut poll found 69 per cent of Austrians said the church was lacking in credibility, while another survey revealed that around one million Austrians were seriously considering leaving the Church.
More than 53,000 people left the Catholic Church in Austria in 2009, the highest in the country’s history. Analysts have said that recent developments could result in a new record number this year.
Austrian Times
Related articles: Catholic church
-
» General News 2012-05-24
Another top-tier representative of the Austrian Church has warned the Preachers’ Initiative from consequences.
-
Rebel priest deplores Church's 'leadership crisis'
» General News 2012-05-22
A Catholic preacher who established a group of "disobedient" priests reacted coolly to Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn’s warnings.
-
Schönborn warns disobedient priests
» General News 2012-05-18
Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn is upping the pressure on Helmut Schüller’s Preachers’ Initiative.
Tag cloud:
objective victims Vienna clergy constitute hundreds Austrian nborn Church independent Catholic Klasnic violence clerical abuse cathedral Schermann Jarolim criticism sexual
Turks flattened by lone asylum seeker
A furious Nigerian went on the rampage at a refuge for asylum seekers in Leibnitz, attacking several people and damaging property.
Woman bites toddler
A woman who bit a two-year-old tot during a road rage row with her mother is being quizzed by police in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
New Dany Boon comedy to be filmed in Austria
The French film star Dany Boon, one of the highest paid actors in Europe after his hit film "Welcome to the Sticks", is filming in Salzburg.
China meets Hallstatt
After a long time of speculation and anticipation the exact copy of Austrian world heritage village of Hallstatt-Dachstein in China will be unveiled, and there will be real-life Austrians present for the ceremony.
Skier in court after accident
A man from Graz is in court today accused of having inflicted negligent injury upon a five-year-old when skiing in Carinthia last year.
Two fires in Ottakring claim one life
Two fires started on Thursday evening in the Vienna district of Ottakring, one of which claimed a man’s life. Several people were evacuated as a result of the two blazes.
Cows zapped to death by lightning
Four cows were zapped to death after a lightning strike hit the barbed wire fence they were leaning on in Reith im Alpbachtal, Austria.
Wolf babies born in Schönbrunn
These cuddly Artic wolf cubs have got every right to look a bit frosty - after they emerged into the world for the first time in the middle of a 27 degree heatwave.
Cleaned Out
A Hungarian cleaning woman who stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of antique jewellery from an Austrian Countess and then sold it for "pocket money" unaware of its real value has been jailed by a court in Austria.
Great expectations for summer tourism season in Vorarlberg
The Vorarlberg tourism industry is currently riding high after a record breaking winter season, and the summer season is expected to follow that same trend.
The most popular stories –
last 7 days
|
Dune And Busted |
|
Swastika Shaped Austrian School Rebuilt |
|
Nazi still honoured in Austria |
|
20th Vienna Life Ball a fiery success! |
|
Thieves caught trying to nick F**king Sign |
