Kurt Krenn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bishop Kurt Krenn
Bishop Kurt Krenn (born June 28, 1936, in Rannariedl, Upper Austria) is a Catholic bishop from Austria, who has been controversial for his ultraconservative views. For example, he once called homosexuality a disease. He also created a stir among Austrians about what he called "the Islamization of Austria", which is allegedly caused by immigration.
Contents |
[edit] Career
After attending a gymnasium in Schlierbach, the seminary in Linz and studying in Rome, he became a priest in Rome in 1962. From 1970 to 1975, he was a professor of philosophy at the Catholic-Theological University at Linz. In 1975, he became professor of systematic theology in the catholic-theological faculty of the University of Regensburg, Germany.
On March 3, 1987, he became suffragan bishop in Vienna, and on July 11, 1991, he became Bishop of the Diocese of St. Pölten, Lower Austria. Both times, the appointment created widespread public criticism and protests. Since then, Kurt Krenn has repeatedly used the media as a platform to promote his conservative views and has thereby caused anger among moderate and reformist Catholics and bemusement in the non-religious population.
[edit] St. Pölten pornography scandal
In 2004, Bishop Krenn became subject to a lot of criticism following some allegations of child pornography and homosexuality within the seminary in St. Pölten, which is under Krenn's supervision. In late 2003, the body of a seminarist was found drifting in the Danube. In early 2004, police seized a computer in the seminary containing, according to police reports released on July 13, 2004, more than 40,000 pornographic pictures downloaded from the internet, many of them showing illegal child pornography. Furthermore, a number of photographs have emerged in the Austrian media showing alleged homosexual acts among seminarists and between Ulrich Küchl, the regens of the seminary and seminarists, which were allegedly performed at a Christmas party. Krenn publicly downplayed the accusations, calling the alleged homosexual acts shown on the pictures "boyish pranks".
Some of Krenn's measures regarding the administration of the seminary have been criticized as having been conducive to the scandal. First, Krenn removed the St. Pölten seminary from the common educational framework of Austrian seminaries and allegedly lowered the standards of admission, allowing aspiring priests into the seminary who had been turned down elsewhere for psychological reasons. Second, his appointment policies with respect to the management of the seminary were increasingly seen as problematic.
In late July 2004, the Vatican appointed Klaus Küng, the bishop of Feldkirch, Vorarlberg as apostolic visitator to Krenn's diocese and order to investigate the occurrences. Church authorities have since then forbidden Krenn to give any interviews, an order that was at first completely ignored and later even publicly rejected by Krenn ('I can do whatever I want'). A member of the seminary of Polish origin was judged to be guilty of the possession of child pornographic pictures.
[edit] Resignation
Complying with a papal wish, Krenn announced his resignation at the end of September 2004. On October 7, 2004 he was succeeded by Klaus Küng.
