Priest Confesses: I Manufactured Meth In My Rectory

The Catholic News Agency reports:

A Catholic priest in Austria has confessed to producing crystal meth in his parish rectory. The case came to light after authorities arrested the 38-year-old cleric along with a 30-year-old Iraqi citizen from Vienna last week, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Both suspects are currently in pretrial detention. The priest, originally from Poland, had been serving in the Austrian Diocese of St. Pölten since 2021.

A police spokesman told media that investigators from the State Criminal Police Office searched the rectory following an order by the public prosecutor’s office. During the raid, they seized chemicals for producing illegal drugs as well as laboratory equipment. Authorities say they suspect the drugs were intended for sale.

Read the full article.

According to a local outlet, the diocese ran a billboard recruitment drive for priests with the tagline, “those who give all receive even more.”

A Catholic priest in Austria has confessed to producing crystal meth in his parish rectory. https://t.co/lDAaG1yBKz

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) July 30, 2024

Austrian priest arrested on suspicion of manufacturing and selling meth https://t.co/SonrjUXwqR

— The Local Austria (@TheLocalAustria) July 30, 2024