VATICAN, September 17, 2004 (CWNews.com/ LifeSiteNews.com) – Although an embattled Austrian bishop has not yet agreed to submit his resignation, the Vatican still expects him to step down soon. Bishop Kurt Krenn of Saint Palten, whose diocese exploded in scandal this summer when police uncovered a homosexual network at the seminary, has “certainly not offered his resignation,” a spokesman said on September 16. But the Austrian bishop had earlier indicated, through the same spokesman, that he would submit his resignation if the Pope asks for it.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, has asked Bishop Krenn to resign, in the name of Pope John Paul II. That request for the bishop’s resignation is now the subject of three-way talks involving Bishop Krenn himself; Archbishop Girgio Zur, the papal nuncio in Austria; and Bishop Klaus Kung, who was appointed by Pope John Paul II to conduct an apostolic visitation of the Saint Palten diocese.
The pressure on Bishop Krenn to step down is likely to increase as the Vatican faces a fast-approaching deadline. On October 3, Pope John Paul II will preside at the beatification of Emperor Carl of Austria—an event that is expected to bring thousands of Austrian pilgrims to Rome. If the status of Bishop Kreen is unresolved on that date, it would constitute significant embarrassment. To complicate matters, Bishop Krenn heads a group of Austrian Catholics devoted to Emperor Carl, and was highly visible in promoting the cause for his beatification.