Financial corruption in Austrian diocese made public, despite Vatican order

The administrator of the Austrian diocese of Gurk-Kalgenfurt has released a report on financial irregularities under the administration of a former bishop, despite a Vatican directive that the report should be conveyed quietly to Rome. The report pointed to “massive public accusations” against Bishop Alois Schwarz, who headed the Gurk diocese 2001 until May of this year, when he was transferred to the Sankt Polten diocese. The charges involved financial deals which appeared to benefit a female staff member who had a close relationship with the bishop. Msgr Engelbert Guggenberger, who released the critical report, emphasized that he was doing so not in his role as apostolic administrator of the Gurk diocese, but as dean of the cathedral chapter, which had given its unanimous endorsement of the findings.