Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

‘Death to gays’ Bishop of Chur retires

Vitus Huonder
Vitus Huonder on the way to mass in April Keystone

Vitus Huonder, the controversial Bishop of Chur, has retired after almost 12 years in the job. Pope Francis has appointed Peter Bürcher, previously the bishop of Reykjavik, as apostolic administrator in Chur. 

Throughout his career Huonder, 77, has found himself at the centre of several media controversies, notably in 2015 when he quoted Bible passages calling for gays to be put to death. Previously he had also attracted criticism over opposing sex education in schools and women priests, and for believing that divine rights should come before human rights. 

The diocese of Chur, the capital of canton Graubünden in eastern Switzerland, announced on Monday that the Pope had finally accepted Huonder’s resignation. Huonder said in 2017 that he wanted to stand down, but Rome rejected his wish twice. 

The diocese of Chur extends over Switzerland’s most populous canton, Zurich.

Huonder will move to the Sancta Maria InstituteExternal link belonging to the Society of Saint Pius X, a traditionalist Catholic group. 

Peter Bürcher, 73, left Reykjavik in 2015 after developing a severe case of pneumonia. He said in a statement on Monday that his appointment was a “total surprise”. He said that at his age he was hoping for a bit of rest, “but the pope had other ideas”. He is expected to act as interim in Chur, with all the rights and duties of a bishop, for a couple of months. 

Also on Monday the bishopric of Chur announced the death on Sunday of Huonder’s predecessor, Amédée Grab, at the age of 89.


More

More

Trouble brews again in Chur diocese

This content was published on Disputes between bishop and flock are nothing new in Chur: in the 1990s conservative bishop Wolfgang Haas clashed with the more progressive members of the Church over what they saw as his attempts to retreat from modernisations introduced in the 1960s. That dispute was temporarily solved when Haas was moved to Liechtenstein. But the current…

Read more: Trouble brews again in Chur diocese

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Switzerland delivers equipment worth 5.6 million to Ukraine

More

Switzerland will deliver rubble removal equipment to Ukraine

This content was published on Thirty rubble removal machines and thirty fire-fighting pumps: this is the equipment that Switzerland will be delivering to the Ukraine in the next few days. The total value of these goods is 5.6 million Swiss francs.

Read more: Switzerland will deliver rubble removal equipment to Ukraine
Trees can live for thousands of years

More

Swiss-led study unravels tree growth and longevity

This content was published on Trees reach old age using different strategies. This is shown by a Swiss-led research team with over 100 scientists from all over the world in a new study, for which they analyzed trees that live to be over three thousand years old.

Read more: Swiss-led study unravels tree growth and longevity

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR