Austrian woman who insulted pope fined

[emad]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VIENNA, Austria -- An Austrian woman who shouted insulting remarks about Pope John Paul II outside Vienna's main cathedral was fined $325 after a court convicted her Monday of disturbing the peace.

The 46-year-old Viennese woman, whose name was not released by authorities, repeatedly and loudly denounced the pope and other Roman Catholic leaders as "child molesters" while standing in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral in 2003.

On Monday, a Vienna court convicted her of disturbing the peace and being a public nuisance. The popular square outside the downtown cathedral was packed with visitors when she stood on the steps with a megaphone to ridicule John Paul and accuse the church of trying to cover up the sexual abuse of children.

Although freedom of speech and expression are enshrined in the Austrian constitution, prosecutors charged the woman under statutes in place to preserve public order.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Austria%20Papal%20Insult

[Cuban_Liberal]

1. "Woman fined for disturbing the peace"

How extraordinary and newsworthy.

:eyes:

[liberalhistorian]

2. It is when it involves a bogus

trumped-up charge to punish her for telling the truth about the Catholic Church and the Pope. Too bad people aren't as concerned with the Catholic church's cover-up of the sexual abuse of children as they are with those who are trying to expose it and call the church out on it.

[bryant69]

3. IT doesn't seem bogus to me

I'm not totally unsympathetic with her position, but you can't expect public disturbance laws to be ignored just because the person has a good point.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[emad]

4. Paragraph 5:

Overwhelmingly Catholic Austria was stung by a sex scandal last year involving the discovery of up to 40,000 lurid images, including child pornography, on computers at a seminary west of Vienna. The local bishop resigned over the affair, and a Vatican emissary ordered the seminary shut down.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Austria%20Papal%20Insult

Just a little background context.

[Bridget Burke]

5. "A Vatican emissary ordered the seminary shut down"

So--was she using her MEGAPHONE to defend the local boys against Papal interference?