A minister from the district of Wels-Land (Upper Austria) is said to have shared several photos and videos with child pornography content on Facebook last year. According to the public prosecutor in Graz, the suspect has already made a confession.
The IP address led to Styria. The U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children alerted police after their employees noted that child pornography photos and videos had been shared on the Facebook messenger service in the summer of 2021.
During the investigation, the owner of the IP address quickly became the focus of researchers. It was a priest (53) who was now working in the Wels-Land ward. Because the crimes are said to have been committed in Styria, the Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office is responsible. Investigated for pornographic depictions of minors.
Generally known
Christian Kroschl of the Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office about “Krone”: “The suspect has largely confessed. According to the current state of knowledge of the authorities, he would have sent six files. However, data carriers have been secured that have yet to be evaluated.” The religious priest was employed in the Diocese of Graz-Seckau until the fall of 2021. For a year, he worked in an Upper Austrian parish entrusted to a religious order for pastoral care, according to the Linz diocese in response to a “Krone “-request.
Exempt from duty
Immediately after the allegations became known on June 21, the accused was removed from office by Vicar General Severin Lederhilger after informing the responsible provincial as the accused’s superior. Lederhilger: “There is no doubt that child pornography is one of the most reprehensible crimes, because it causes a lot of suffering for children and young people. Obtaining, storing, displaying or distributing such images is therefore a serious criminal offense not only by the state, but also by the church.”
No pastoral duties
As long as the results of the investigation and, if necessary, the criminal proceedings are not available, the accused has been discharged from service in the diocese and will no longer assume pastoral duties. The Vicar General continues: “His Provincial has already recalled him from his residence in the parish.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
