- Pope Francis received the President of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (SBK), Felix Gmür, and the Chur Bishop Joseph Bonnemain.
- Switzerland’s Catholic Church is the subject of a Vatican investigation over suspicions of covering up sexual abuse.
According to the SBK, Gmür and Bonnemain had discussions with the Pope and his employees, in particular about the establishment of a national criminal and disciplinary court, the storage of files in connection with cases of abuse and access to the church archives.
Legend:
Pope Francis gave the green light to investigate the cases of abuse in Switzerland.
REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
The SBK’s concerns “were met with understanding as part of the joint exchange,” it said in a statement. And: “The SBK is pleased that the measures taken can be gradually implemented.”
Bishop Bonnemain also told SRF that the Pope was taking the concerns very seriously: “That’s very encouraging, isn’t it?” But the bishop is also aware that technical, concrete steps must now follow. But it is very important to have people in the Vatican behind you who make decisions.
“Thorough processing” and “effective measures”
In September, the SBK announced the opening of a preliminary investigation on behalf of the Vatican under the direction of Bishop Joseph Bonnemain.
A report published almost simultaneously by the University of Zurich uncovered at least 1,002 cases of sexual abuse in the Swiss Catholic Church, committed by more than 500 priests or employees over decades since the middle of the last century. A “culture of silence” was denounced.
On Thursday last week, Federal President Alain Berset declared during the Pope’s visit to the Vatican that the Federal Council expected the Catholic Church to quickly carry out a thorough investigation and take effective measures against abuse.