Switzerland Today
Greetings from Switzerland!
The fall-out from the Catholic Church abuse scandal is starting to be felt in Switzerland, with threats from donors to turn off the money taps unless the Church implements reforms.
More on that later, but first here’s the news of the day.
In the news: Burka fines, real estate bubbles and calls for Russia crimes to be probed
- Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has backed growing calls at the UNfor a tribunal to be set up to investigate Russian “crimes of aggression” in Ukraine.
- Zurich and Tokyo remain the only global cities at risk of a real estate bubble bursting, according to UBS bank.
- The Swiss population has topped the nine million mark for the first time in history – if temporary residents are counted.
- Parliament has agreed that people wearing face coveringscan be fined up to CHF1,000 when the so-called Burka ban comes into force.
Catholic reforms demanded
The Roman Catholic Central Conference is a body that forms a bridge between the ecclesiastical and pastoral elements of the Church in Switzerland. It also dispenses money to the Bishops Conference – CHF2.3 million per year – which gives it a proper voice.
In the midst of the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, the Conference is making demands. “The Bishops won’t be happy about them,” Conference Secretary Urs Brosi said during a debate on Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
My colleague, Simon Bradley, has written about the likely next steps after an official inquiry identified more than 1,000 cases of abuse since 1950.
A row is simmering over who should conduct the next stages of the inquiry: clergy or an independent body.
Until now, Bishops have had the job of weighing up evidence to see if an investigation or accusation are necessary. But the clergy has been accused of covering up abuse and making evidence disappear.
The Roman Catholic Central Conference is calling for a separation of powers with the establishment of an “inter-diocesan body”, which would include women and legal experts, to take the investigation further.
And the Conference does not stop there, suggesting further reforms that would loosen the practice of dismissing priests who live in romantic cohabitation or have a same-sex partnership.
“It takes courage and more has to happen to see progress. If we always remain loyal to the system, we won’t get any further,” said Brossi.
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