Bishops take aim at paedophiles in the church

Last week Pope John Paul II broke his silence and denounced the “grave scandal” of priests implicated in sex abuse cases Keystone

The Catholic Church in Switzerland has announced it is forming a task force to tackle sex abuse committed by members of the clergy.

The panel, made up of lawyers, psychologists and priests, will assist bishops in preventing abuse of children or deal with cases when they emerge.

The announcement comes at the same time as a 63-year-old priest in canton St Gallen resigned after allegations that he had molested children. He was taken into policy custody, and has not yet been released.

Only last week, Pope John Paul II broke years of silence over the issue by denouncing the “grave scandal” of priests implicated in sex abuse cases afflicting the Church around the world. He said they cast a “dark shadow of suspicion” over the Church as a whole.

“The bishops have not waited for the case of the priest in Walenstadt in canton St Gallen to address the problem,” Marc Aellen, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Switzerland, told swissinfo.

“A few months ago the Church decided to set up a task force to advise bishops on how to deal with alleged cases as soon as they arise, what steps to take, and what preventive measures can be taken. This goes to show that the bishops are taking the matter very seriously indeed.”

Witch-hunt

Aellen warned against launching a “witch-hunt” against the clergy, stating that there was no evidence whatsoever to show that the problem of paedophilia among the priesthood was widespread in Switzerland.

He also dismissed suggestions that the issue was not being addressed properly and was being swept under the carpet.

“I can assure you 100 per cent that this is not the case in Switzerland – and will never be the case,” insisted Aellen.

“That may have been the case in the past, because at that time one was not so aware of the problem or the implications involved, but this is not the way things are done nowadays.”

The Church also refuted allegations that celibacy lay at the root of the problem, arguing that statistics showed married men with families were more likely to commit abuse than priests.

Taboo subject

Franz Ziegler, secretary-general of the Swiss Association for the Protection of the Child, said it was impossible to say how big the problem was in Switzerland since it still remained a “taboo” subject. But he admitted his organisation was hearing about more and more cases.

However, he said the risk of abuse was not just confined to the Church. “It is the same in schools, sports clubs and the Scouts. Everywhere where there are children under the control of adults the danger is there – in every walk of life. It is not just the Church we are talking about.”

But Ziegler stressed it was time for the Church to take a lead and ensure that all cases of sexual abuse were dealt with transparently.

“The most important thing is for the Church to take a firm and clear position that all forms of sexual relations with children are classed as abuse and that the Church will not tolerate them,” he said.

“We have yet to hear this message – that if a priest commits such an act, they will be thrown out of the Church.”

Sex scandals

In recent years the Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of sex scandals worldwide involving clerics from priests to archbishops.

In Poland, the Archbishop of Poznan is currently under investigation by the Vatican following allegations that he sexually abused seminarians and priests.

In the United States, the Church is reported to have agreed to a multi-million dollar payout to alleged victims of a priest who has been jailed for ten years for sexually abusing a young boy.

by Adam Beaumont with agencies