Swiss Catholic Church commissions study into past sexual abuse
The leaders of the Catholic Church in Switzerland have commissioned a study into the Swiss church’s history of sexual exploitation since the mid-20th century.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/AP/sb
Português
pt
Igreja católica suíça investiga casos passados de abuso sexual
The Swiss Bishops’ Conference and two other organisations announced on MondayExternal link that two University of Zurich history professors, Monika Dommann and Marietta Maier, would lead the study which is due to officially launch in March 2022.
“Countless people have endured deep suffering linked to sexual abuse in the context of the Roman Catholic Church,” the organisations said. “Work of scientific memory is owed first of all to the victims, but it will also provide lessons for the future.”
The one-year pilot project will give the researchers access to files and archives “where possible and authorized under canonical and state law”.
A scientific committee appointed by the Swiss History Society will oversee the project to guarantee its independence.
In 2010, the Swiss Catholic Church finally accepted responsibility for cases of sexual abuse by priests that had earlier come to light.
In 2019, it was reported that over 300 victims had come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against priests in Switzerland since 2010.
Earlier this year, it was announced that a special fund set up to compensate people who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of representatives of the Catholic Church in Switzerland would be extended for another five years to allow more people to file claims. The fund, which was launched by the Swiss Bishops Conference, has paid out compensation to 140 victims of abuse since 2016 when it was set up.
More
More
Swiss Catholic Church extends victims’ compensation fund
This content was published on
A compensation fund for people who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church in Switzerland will be extended for another five years.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss Catholic Church extends victims’ compensation fund
This content was published on
A compensation fund for people who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church in Switzerland will be extended for another five years.
Swiss church bringing more abuse cases before judiciary
This content was published on
In 2017, a record number of cases – 65 incidents – were reported in Switzerland, according to the German-language newspaper. Of these, only ten were serious enough for the judiciary to act. Eight cases were reported by the church itself and the other two were investigated by prosecutors. The church declined to give details of the…
This content was published on
A Catholic bishop has been cleared of allegations that he tolerated a case of sexual abuse by a priest in his diocese in western Switzerland.
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.