Swiss Catholic Church Conference rejects financial sanctions for sexual abuse

Roland Loos, President of the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland, said that financial sanctions were no longer useful. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

The general assembly of the Central Conference of the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland, which met on Friday and Saturday, voted on measures to combat sexual abuse in the clergy. The assembly rejected a proposal for financial sanctions.

Two weeks after the publication of a preliminary report on sexual abuse in the clergy, the Swiss Catholic Central Conference made some surprising statements. The committee of the umbrella organisation made four demands and concluded its letter with a financial threat should talks with the bishops fail.

With 1% of the public money paid to the Catholic Church, the Central Conference can exert significant financial pressure, amounting to CHF13 million ($14.9 million). However, this financial leverage was not accepted.

“Discussion is more effective than threats”

Roland Loos, who was elected President of the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland by the assembly on Friday, told Swiss public television RTS  that financial sanctions were no longer useful. 

“Over the past months and weeks, we have rebuilt a new climate of trust. […] A lot has happened in recent months at a remarkable speed. We are not used to seeing this in the Catholic Church.”

He added: “We now believe that discussion, persuasion and explanation will be better methods than simply issuing threats”.

Four measures adopted

The four demands put forward by the committee – some of which have already been implemented – were all accepted by a large majority this weekend. The assembly – made up of people who work in the cantonal churches, either as employees or volunteers – recognises that the institution can do better.

Here are their demands: first to provide external support to the bishop who investigates their peers, second to give more prominence to the abuse-reporting service, third to create an ecclesiastical criminal court and finally to no longer discriminate against laypeople who apply to the diocese because they are cohabiting, divorced or homosexual.

“Rigid and homophobic sexual morality is one of the systemic causes of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church,” wrote the committee of the Central Conference of Catholics to justify the demands voted on Saturday.

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