František Merta


František Merta caused a scandal in the Czech Republic in 2000 when, while serving as a Catholic priest in the Olomouc Archdiocese, he was convicted of indecent assault of 20 boys dating back to 1995.

The case

Merta was accused by a theology student, Vaclav Novak, and was sentenced by a criminal court to a two-year suspended sentence. The archbishop of Olomouc, Jan Graubner, was accused of moving Merta to different posts in an attempt to cover up the case. Merta is still employed by the Catholic church as a civil employee in the archdiocese archives, though according to a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Olomouc, he has no contact with children.