František Merta

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František Merta was a central figure in a Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal in the Czech Republic. Father František Merta and Olomouc Bishop Jan Graubner were charged after allegations were made by a theology student, Václav Novák, that Merta had sexually abused altar boys since 1995. In 2001, Merta was found guilty of sexually abusing more than 20 boys and given a suspended sentence of two years. When he was a priest in Moravia, Archbishop Jan Graubner failed to report him. Instead, Graubner moved him from location to location whenever problems appeared.

A book about Merta's child sexual abuse cases, Křičí hlasem zrady (They Are Shouting the Voice of Betrayal), was published in March 2001 by Václav Novák. Novák, helped uncover the pedophile scandal in 2000. Novák persuaded a group of victims to come forward with their allegations against Merta.

[edit] References

Mindy Kay Bricker, "Whistleblower wants apology from church: Ex-seminarian files lawsuit, furious about archbishop's denial of pedophile scandals", The Prague Post, April 2, 2003. Online copy

[edit] See also

• Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal
• Roman Catholic priests accused of sex offenses
• Crimen sollicitationis
• Pontifical Secret
• Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)
• Sex Crimes and the Vatican (Panorama Documentary Episode)
• Barbara Blaine founder of SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests)
• Red Hot Catholic Love, South Park television episode

[edit] External links

• Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse deepens crisis in Church Current Affairs, August 10th, 2000.