The Catholic Church in Switzerland will in future report all suspected cases of sexual abuse, regardless of whether the victim presses charges. The new measure comes in response to a growing scandal that is damaging its reputation.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
The Swiss Bishop’s Conference took the decision on Wednesday to allow police to more effectively investigate allegations and to reduce the risk of cover-ups in future. The ruling obliges Church officials to report all suspicions rather than rely on victims to come forward.
While not confined to Switzerland, the issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has produced a significant number of negative headlines. Since 2010, some 300 victims have come forward to report assaults in Switzerland, often carried out by priests.
In 2017 alone 65 new reports emerged, which was an increased rate on previous years. Many of the offences took place when the victims were children or adolescents. Given the time elapsed in reporting the offences, many may have passed the statute of limitations and may therefore be impossible to prosecute.
However, Bishop Felix Gmür, vice-president of the Conference, said this should not deter people from coming forward. “We want to know what happened,” he said at a media conference on Wednesday. Victims who are denied the opportunity of prosecuting their case could still apply for compensation from a special fund set up by the Church.
Earlier this month it was reported that the Swiss Bishop’s Conference, the Church’s highest body in Switzerland, plans to introduce sexual education courses for Church representatives.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
Victims launch organisation to fight abuse in Catholic Church
This content was published on
Victims involved in the fight against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church have joined forces to launch an international organisation in Geneva.
Swiss Catholic Church commission to examine abuse victims’ cases
This content was published on
The commission is ready to receive compensation requests from victims of paedophile priests, Joseph Bonnemain, from the Conference of Swiss Bishops, told the Swiss News Agency on Tuesday. The formal creation of the six-person commissionExternal link in January follows the establishment of a CHF500,000 ($498,000) compensation fund for victims of abuse by members of the…
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.