Swiss abbey investigates abuse claims

Monks at the Hauterive Abbey in canton Fribourg urge potential victims of a former monk who allegedly molested several women between 1980 and 1995 to come forward.

“We know that women have been harmed and that some will suffer for the rest of their lives,” reads the statement  released on Monday by abbey officials. “Although the acts occurred a long time ago and are now prescribed, the monks express their painful regret and wish for the truth to come to light.”

In the note, the current superior of the Cistercian monastery, Abbot Marc de Pothuau, explains that in July 2019 he received the first testimony of a woman reporting harassment. Five more reports of similar abuse have come in this year.

Improper distance

The friar in question left the religious community in 1996, to get married, and today suffers from dementia. For about 15 years he had been in charge of the guesthouse. His role was to create an environment where guests and hosts could find spiritual guidance and support. But “in doing so, he did not always respect the proper distance from some of the women,” according to the statement.

Hauterive Abbey is located seven kilometers from Fribourg, in a bend of the Sarine River. “About 20 monks live in this privileged place, leading a simple life of prayer, work and brotherhood,” according to the community’s website. The guesthouse allows visitors to retreat into the monastic silence.

How we work

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.