Landowner at Pilgrims' Route Prohibits Priests to Enter Property
One of the routes to the main Austrian Catholic Shrine, MariaZell, located in the Austrian mountains, leads through the forest of Mr. Josef Rothwangl. In May 2011, Mr. Rothwangl put up a sign prohibiting priests to enter his property when accompanying children or youth. He says that he was a victim of abuse by Catholic priests himself, when he was a student at a Catholic high school. It is not clear, whether such a prohibition is legally permitted or not. The social effects are in any case problematic: The measure defames and stereotypes priests by implying that all Catholic priests are child abusers.
Sources: http://steiermark.orf.at/stories/516147 http://derStandard.at/1304552260035/Viele-Wege-fuehren-nach-Mariazell