Vienna - Austria's Roman Catholic bishops appealed to Pope John Paul yesterday to make a ruling in the case of the disgraced Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer who, most of them believe, is guilty of sexually abusing boys and monks.
Cardinal Groer (78) was forced to retire as Archbishop of Vienna and head of Austria's Catholic Church in 1995 after allegations that he had molested a schoolboy more than 20 years earlier. Several monks and priests have alleged that they were also the object of sexual advances from Cardinal Groer, including during confession. He has never clearly admitted or denied the accusations.
The Groer case has caused uproar in the predominantly Catholic country, with thousands of people leaving the church in protest.