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After cases of abuse – Roman Catholic Church wants Swiss-wide ecclesiastical court – News

24 November 2023

Bishop Felix Gmür announced to the media that there would be a cross-diocesan ecclesiastical criminal court for cases of abuse. This is scheduled to be introduced in 2024.
In addition to the state judiciary, the ecclesiastical court should decide on the future role of the accused person in the church.
This ecclesiastical criminal court is also a response to the Lucerne Synod’s decision to block contributions to the diocese.

If a verdict is reached in a state court in cases of abuse, the ecclesiastical court should take over. For example, to decide on expulsion from an order.

The ecclesiastical court should consist of experts who are familiar with canon law, but who do not necessarily have to belong to the Roman Catholic Church, explained Felix Gmür, bishop of the diocese of Basel, to the media.

More experts with a Swiss-wide court

Until now, a court from your own diocese or another diocese has dealt with such cases. With a court that includes all of Switzerland’s dioceses, the pool of experts such as judges who can take on this task is larger.

We will discuss this and find a good way forward.

The background is a decision by the Lucerne Synod to block contributions to the diocese. The church parliament wanted to take action after the preliminary study on cases of abuse published in September. “We will discuss this and find a good way,” said Gmür.

Gmür can understand the concerns of the Lucerne synods. He respects the decision. “But it would have been better and desirable to talk to each other first,” said the bishop.

Full disclosure required

The Finance Commission of the cantonal Roman Catholic bodies in the diocese of Basel (Fiko) is in favor of continuing the study into the cases of abuse. The fullest possible explanation and compensation for the victims are welcomed, said Fiko President Christian Griss.

In their pilot study published on September 12th, researchers at the University of Zurich counted at least 1,002 cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clerics and members of religious orders since 1950. According to the researchers, this is only the tip of the iceberg, as most cases go unreported and the Documents were destroyed.

This study sparked disagreements between the diocese and the Lucerne regional church. The Lucerne Synod, which is also part of the diocese of Basel, called for an independent investigation and reporting office. In addition, the church must get away from its “homophobic sexual morality”.

Gmür replied that the majority of these demands had already been implemented.

Fiko recognizes the measures already taken by the Diocese of Basel, such as the prevention courses on the topic of “closeness and distance”. These have been carried out since 2004 and have been mandatory throughout the diocese since 2016.

Church employees must provide a criminal record

In addition, church employees must now submit criminal record and special criminal record extracts. From Fiko’s point of view, the fact that the Lucerne Synod is threatening to withdraw financial resources is “not expedient,” said Griss.