Abuse and the Church, what happened in Switzerland

A year-long study finds more than a thousand documented cases of sexual abuse in Switzerland - Criticism of case management by the dioceses

Cover-ups of cases, transfers of priests, sensitive documents destroyed, testimonies not heard, victims blamed or isolated, silence: the 136 pages of the "Report on the Pilot Project for the History of Sexual Abuse in the Context of the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland since the Middle of the 20th Century" made public on September 12, show a very clear picture of how the six Swiss dioceses and beyond have dealt with abuse in religious institutions over the decades. And none of the six national dioceses comes off well.

It is a national first: never before has a study covering the whole of Switzerland been presented, conducted by an independent research team that consulted some 20 archives of institutions inside and outside the Catholic Church and collected, read and partially analysed tens of thousands of pages of dossiers to write its report. The research team also conducted a dozen interviews with people who had been victims of sexual abuse.

An enormous amount of work that took one year and in which 1,002 abuses, not only of minors, were identified and partly analysed. "The pilot project in Switzerland was conducted late", it says, "but with an exceptionally comprehensive approach". The documents analysed are indeed numerous and also concern educational institutions, congregations, orphanages and associations for children and youth.

A total of 510 accused persons and 921 victims of abuse were identified. In 39% of the cases the abused person was female, in just under 56% male, while in 5% the gender could not be determined from the available sources. With few exceptions, the accused were exclusively men. The files analysed show that 74% of the cases involved sexual abuse of minors, including infants. In the area of pastoral care (the work of priests and other church employees), there were the most assaults with 50%.

The first Swiss organisation for victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church dates back to 2010, being formed in the wake of the scandals uncovered decades earlier in the US, in Boston, and in Ireland. A wave that did not stop and that swept through the Church, forcing it to adopt a policy of greater transparency.

However, transparency is obscured, for example, by canon law, the Church's legal system, which regulates, among other things, the preservation of documents within ecclesiastical institutions. This law provides for a secret archive, in which the files of ecclesiastical criminal trials are kept and to which only the bishop has access. These files can then be destroyed "if the offenders have died or if such cases have been closed for a decade with a conviction, keeping a brief summary of the fact".

One anomaly that has emerged in Lugano is the lack of an organised archive for the dossiers of the activity of the Diocesan Commission of Experts on "Sexual Abuse in the Church", "a fact that is probably due to the limited number of cases handled by the Commission itself". Four people have been in contact with the Commission from 2016 to date. Such a small number that leads the researchers to conclude that it is a "far-fetched" figure that "highlights a strong reluctance on the part of those affected to report abuse". Moreover, there is a lack of victim support associations in Ticino compared to the rest of Switzerland.

A reluctance, however, that can be observed not only in Ticino, but throughout the country. Victims find it difficult to report their suffering. They are afraid of not being believed, some have been "defamed" by church employees. The long report highlights the difficulty and shame of family members in reporting abuse, partly because there was often a relationship of gratitude or benevolence towards the abuser. The modus operandi of the Church then also included the practice of allowing church representatives to enter and leave Switzerland in order to demand favourable treatment and cover up cases of abuse.

For the future, the researchers have drawn up a list of proposals that include the establishment of consultants independent of the Church, the preservation of documents, more resources for archivists, access to archives for all and new studies on the subject.

The document is the result of an agreement between the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Unions of Orders and Other Communities of Consecrated Life, the Central Roman Catholic Conference of Switzerland and the Department of History of the University of Zurich.

Abuse in Switzerland's Catholic Church

Abuse in the Church: "I was in denial to live my life as well as possible"

Claire Micallef

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A study by the University of Zurich has documented over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland since 1950. Christiane Marmy is one of these victims. She talks about her experiences at RTS.

As a teenager, Christiane Marmy's parents moved to Lausanne and asked a very good family friend, a priest, to take her in as a boarding student so that she could finish her school year in Fribourg.

"Several evenings a week, he would come. He knew where my room was", she says. "It was always in the bedroom, at night, where the abuse took place."

Christiane Marmy was 14 years old at the time. "I had such an innocent face that opened up to life," she says looking at old photos. "It's like destroying a flower as it opens to bloom."

It was always in the bedroom, at night, where the abuse took place.

For three months, Christiane Marmy was "literally under the spell" of this priest. At the time, however, she told no one about it.

"I don't remember him telling me to keep quiet. I couldn't imagine talking about it", she recalls.

The pensioner explains her silence with the high status that priests had in society 60 years ago when the events took place.

"At that time it was a society of Christianity, priests were known, they were seen a a God," she explains.

Christiane Marmy lived in denial for years. "To live my life as well as possible," she explains.

But in 2008, during a harmless discussion, it all came back to her. She tells her sister about it, who tells her that she was also abused by the same priest, but for much longer.

In 2020, the two sisters turned to Bishop Charles Morerod, who gave them his full attention and allowed them to see the file of their attacker. They find out that the priest had already been accused of abuse around 1955, before he turned his attention to them.

"He'd already had problems before. There was a denunciation by a family that was never acted upon", explains Christiane Marmy.

While she is certain that "the diocese would sound the alarm at this point", this situation reinforces the image that the Church is above the law.

However, there are mechanisms to bring the matter to court. Priests and bishops can be prosecuted by the judicial authorities like anyone else.

Offences against sexual integrity are theoretically also prosecuted ex officio without the need for a report by the victim.

Finally, ecclesiastical law provides that suspected sexual abuse must be reported to the civil authorities if there is a risk of recurrence.

However, the number of legal proceedings initiated is very low compared to the number of reported cases of abuse.

This is due to the fact that it is difficult for victims to speak out, that statutes of limitations apply and that there is generally a culture of secrecy in the Church.

At that time it was a society of Christianity, priests were known, they were seen as a God

The report by the University of Zurich shows that the Catholic Church ignored the victims, covered up for the perpetrators and destroyed the incriminating archives, which raises anew the question of the Church's legal responsibility.

In Bern, the elected representatives will discuss the question of whether the Church is responsible for the actions of its personnel. It could therefore be held responsible for the abuses committed by its priests and bishops.

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In the case of Christiane Marmy and her sister, their complaint was heard, but since the attacker died, there will never be a trial. However, both received financial compensation of CHF 20,000.

"My sister died a few months later", says Christiane Marmy. "Sixty years of silence, then, shortly before death, the realisation. It was a cry of liberation."

This is why Christiane Marmy is now encouraging other victims to seek help, in particular from the Groupe de soutien aux personnes abusées dans une relation d'autorité religieuse (SAPEC), a support group for people who have been abused in a religious authority relationship.

"With SAPEC, we want to give all victims the opportunity to speak out and they will be heard", she explains.

Sixty years of silence, then, shortly before death, the realisation. It was a cry of liberation.

The SAPEC has enabled her to meet other victims, most of whom have severed all ties with the Church. Christiane Marmy understands them, but her faith is unbroken.

"It's part of my story, and I think it's important that with all the help I've received, I can read this story again in peace and continue my journey in peace", she concludes.

Testimony of a victim

Bishop Joseph Bonnemain on the measures taken by the Church

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Historians have researched the archives of the Roman Catholic Church throughout Switzerland, with a special focus on sexual assaults. The investigation brought to light 1002 cases of abuse from 1950 to the present. Bishop Joseph Bonnemain on the measures taken by the Church.

SRF News: It has been known for decades that sexual assaults are committed in the Catholic Church. In other countries, this has been looked into much earlier, why only now in Switzerland?

Joseph Bonnemain: First, because Switzerland is complex. There are many cantons and different cultures living together in this country. We have the state-church organisations, i.e. the national churches, the dioceses and also the religious orders. And from the beginning, we wanted these three institutions to work together in such a study. It took time and the persuasion to convince everyone to make it happen.

We absolutely need a radical culture change.

At the same time, we absolutely need a radical culture change. So that the focus is no longer on the institutions, the church and the good reputation, and even less on the perpetrators, but on the victims and the people. We needed time to make this culture change ourselves.

SRF News: A pre-study has documented 1002 cases of abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland. And historians say this is only the tip of the iceberg, there will be many more.

Joseph Bonnemain: The researchers have encouraged more victims to come forward and also people who have knowledge of such assaults. Therefore, it will be the case that many will certainly come forward.

Such assaults leave wounds that last a lifetime.

But this is good. We must be there for the people, especially for the weakest, for the ones most in need, for the neglected, for all these people who carry wounds with them. Because such assaults leave wounds that last a lifetime.

SRF News: For decades, the Church has protected perpetrators instead of victims and systematically covered up cases. What are you now doing specifically for the victims?

Joseph Bonnemain: We have decided on concrete measures. First, an independent reporting office will be professionally set up throughout Switzerland in order for victims to report effortlessly and to be looked after, accompanied and supported there.

The admission requirements for those who later wish to work in pastoral care will be very strict.

Secondly, the admission requirements for those who later wish to work in pastoral care will be very strict. We will set standards for psychological tests for the whole of Switzerland. We will professionalise personnel files so that everything on record is kept by those working in the Church and nothing is lost. When people change jobs between dioceses, their files should be able to be passed on. We will also prevent and prohibit the destruction of files from the archives. This has already been implemented.

SRF News: So it's mainly prevention. Currently, however, several bishops in office are being criticised. As a bishop, you are now charged with investigating these cases. Shouldn't an external person do that?

Joseph Bonnemain: It would be ideal if an independent person did that. At present, however, this is not possible because the 2019 legislation stipulates that a bishop of the country takes care of this. It is only for this reason that I very reluctantly accepted the job. But I have accepted it with the determination not to be influenced by anyone. I will study all the facts and files in a completely objective manner, conduct discussions and interviews and, at the end, record the whole thing in a report and send it to Rome.

The interview was conducted by Bigna Silberschmidt

Bonnemain and the Church's response

Will the Catholic Church really look into these cases?

What the dioceses say about the new abuse figures

The publication of the pilot study on the cases of abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland has triggered a broad response. An overview of the reactions.

Bishop Büchel admits mistakes:  The Bishop of St Gallen, Markus Büchel, reacted to the results of the study on Wednesday and admitted mistakes. The investigations include two cases from St Gallen. One of them concerns serious abuses in a children's home in Lütisburg that lasted until 1988. The other case concerns a priest who has been accused of sexual assaults since 2002. Criminal charges have now been filed against him. Although both cases mainly fell within the term of office of his predecessor, it had been Bishop Büchel's failure not to review his investigations, he said.

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Abbot of Saint-Maurice resigns: Jean César Scarcella, Abbot of Saint-Maurice, has announced that he will temporarily resign until the investigations against him are completed. He is accused of sexual assault and cover-up and is being investigated by the apostolic special investigator Joseph Bonnemain. Bonnemain was appointed by the Council of Bishops, the body in Rome responsible for such accusations.

Diocese of Lugano vows improvement: The diocese of Lugano held out the prospect of a "definitive change". According to the historians' pilot study, numerous documents were destroyed there in the 1990s. In addition, the archives had been run by untrained staff for many years. It is impossible for the diocese of Lugano not to acknowledge the guilt in this matter, said the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Lugano, Alain de Raemy. Justice must be done to the victims, he said. As a concrete improvement, de Raemy held out the prospect of creating an independent reporting office for sexual assaults. The commission that exists today for such cases is part of the diocese of Lugano itself.

Plea for a culture change: The Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, Charles Morerod, has described the study by the University of Zurich as "shocking". He said the report once again showed the poor handling of abuse cases in the Church. "We are committed to a culture change within the church," Morerod assured. According to SonntagsBlick, he himself is accused of not having intervened after the cases of abuse became known. He is even said to have promoted the priest in question. Bishop Morerod did not want to comment further on the accusations to the media, as the "facts had been presented to the competent bodies", i.e. the state and ecclesiastical judiciary. He did not want to interfere in the investigations. Shortly after his statement, Morerod was admitted to hospital. He had suffered a cranial haemorrhage as a result of a bicycle accident a few months ago. The operation went well, the diocese said.

Offer of resignation in Sion:  Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey has denied any knowledge or cover-up of abuse cases. In total, there are said to have been 19 cases in the Catholic Church in Valais since 2015. If the investigations incriminate him personally, he held out the prospect of resigning. "I have not destroyed any document from this area in the archives", he assured the media.

What the dioceses say about the cases

The courts don't necessarily take up cases of sexual abuse in the Church

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A study by the University of Zurich reported earlier this week that at least a thousand people have been sexually abused in the Swiss Catholic Church since the 1950s. However, it is not certain that the courts will take up these cases.

Although the vast majority of offences against sexual integrity are prosecuted ex officio, i.e. without the need to file a complaint, information on assaults is incomplete and not included in the University of Zurich study.

Neither the police nor the judicial authorities can pinpoint the date and location of the abuses recorded. No new cases have come to light since the survey was published, apart from those reported last weekend by a former vicar. These are currently being examined by the authorities in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg.

Researchers will also be able to report abuses. Under the terms of its contract with the Swiss Bishops' Conference for this study, the team specifies that it may lodge a complaint if it perceives a possible punishable act. It will decide on a case-by-case basis. Finally, some of the cases identified by the University of Zurich had already been the subject of criminal proceedings.

The media coverage of this study could also encourage the filing of complaints, if the facts are not time-barred. Witnesses could also report acts. In such a case, the police would first contact the alleged victim to inform him or her that they are available to discuss the matter, Neuchâtel's public prosecutor told RTS's La Matinale on Friday.

However, the victim may refuse to speak out. Pierre Aubert admits: "The possibility of basing a sufficiently solid accusation" solely "on the words of third parties", when assaults are often committed behind closed doors, seems difficult.

Also interviewed in Friday's La Matinale, Camille Perrier Depeursinge, professor of criminal law at Lausanne University, also stresses the difficulty for the justice system to deal with these cases of sexual abuse. Firstly, the "victims may not be identified or identifiable". And as the events can go back in time, the assailants are potentially elderly or deceased.

And there's the risk of dragging an assaulted person into a procedure that "they don't want, which could be extremely painful for them". As a result, "it's understandable that the criminal authorities aren't rushing in headlong" after the publication of the report, concludes the lawyer.

In the event of abuse of this kind, "which obviously has a devastating psychological impact", people wishing to lodge a complaint can first turn to a Lavi counseling center for victims of crime, which exists in all cantons, explains lawyer Joëlle de Rham-Rudloff on the RTS program Forum. These include psychological support and vouchers for legal advice.

However, the willingness to initiate criminal proceedings depends on the "resources" of each individual, explains the criminal law specialist on Friday. While some "need to lodge a complaint" regardless of "the outcome of the procedure", having to detail again and again the assaults suffered "can be an unbearable psychological burden".

The injured are also subjected to "secondary victimization", since their word will be questioned and the slightest contradiction reproached, "whereas when you're being sexually abused, you're not taking notes".

>> Listen to Joëlle de Rham-Rudloff's interview in Forum:

Even if "criminal procedure is an ordeal", Joëlle de Rham-Rudloff notes its improvement within the Swiss justice system with the introduction of new legislation, the Lavi, in 2007.

"Victims are no longer visually confronted with their attacker" when they testify, thanks to separate rooms and tint-free windows. When children are heard, they "are listened to according to extremely strict protocols, by specially trained police officers", she explains.

The specialist also emphasized that lawyers, like the staff at Lavi centers, "are there to support" people in their endeavors, while prosecutors and judges are increasingly aware of the need to receive and analyze this type of comment.

Radio subjects: Anouk Pernet and Robin Baudraz

Courts don't necessarily take up the cases

Some sex offenders probably get away with it

With over a thousand cases of abuse in the Catholic Church, what are the consequences under criminal law?

Serious sexual offences are official offences - the public prosecutor's office must initiate investigations as soon as it receives concrete evidence of such an offence. But it can only do so if the cases are not time-barred.

Although serious sexual abuse of children under the age of twelve is no longer subject to the statute of limitations, this only applies to cases that were not yet time-barred in 2008. At that time, the so-called statute of limitations initiative was adopted.

Of the 1002 cases identified in the study on abuse cases in the Catholic Church, only 67 happened between 2010 and 2023. Most occurred between 1950 and 1970. Consequently, they are time-barred.

Nevertheless, the state is now taking action after the publication of the study. The public prosecutor's office of the Canton of St. Gallen is currently examining the report for possible official offences, as it informed the Swiss public radio SRF in response to a request. The public prosecutor's offices in the cantons of Valais and Graubünden are doing the same.

However, it is not easy to identify the anonymous perpetrators, according to the Graubünden public prosecutor's office. They therefore hope that the report will encourage victims to file criminal complaints. This would make the work much easier.

According to the Swiss Bishops' Conference's Sexual Assault Reporting Centre, however, it occurs that victims do not want criminal proceedings to be initiated.

Criminal proceedings can be very stressful and re-traumatising.

Victim support counsellor Agota Lavoyer can understand this: "Criminal proceedings can be very stressful and re-traumatising."

She emphasises that sexual exploitation of children is often a repeat offence. Therefore, it would be important to file criminal charges to protect potential further victims.

Adrian Loretan, professor of ecclesiastical law and constitutional church law at the University of Lucerne, also thinks it is important for the state to take action. It is not enough for the church to investigate the cases itself, he says. "Only state law can create an awareness of injustice."

The victims can't be protected in ecclesiastical law, because ecclesiastical law only investigates whether rape is a violation of the law of celibacy, Loretan says. "And that is indeed a sin, but one that can be forgiven in confession."

Thus, some priests were simply transferred to another place after an abuse became known.

The publication of the study has now led to a rethink in the church in St. Gallen. The bishop has filed a criminal complaint against a priest who had already been accused of assaults some years ago.

Although a church-internal expert committee investigated the case at the time, the accusations were refuted. The bishop now admitted at a press conference that this had been a mistake and that it would have been better to involve the police at the time.

Sandro Bucher

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Some perpetrators will get away with it

Reactions from the basis of the Catholic Church

Lay people who have been committed to the Church for years now express sharp criticism - of bishops and priests. And: they demand fundamental reforms. Otherwise they see no future for the Catholic Church.

Markus Greiner has been involved in the church administration in Aarau for 16 years - meanwhile as president of the district church community. After the report on the sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church, he initially felt like he had been struck down: "Slowly, anger is rising in me about how long it is taking the church to face up to this difficult, terrible problem." There is also anger at the Roman Catholic Church itself, Greiner says.

I can understand anyone who says: 'I'm not going to carry this anymore'.

Greiner says many Catholics he has spoken to in recent days feel the same way. And some wanted to go one step further: "They can no longer tolerate these cases of abuse and the way the official church is dealing with them, and they are considering leaving." He now expects an actual wave - and: "I can understand everyone who says: 'I'm not going to carry this anymore'."

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However, he wants to continue to be involved with the church and points out that the church also does good, for example for refugees and poor people.

New structures and abolition of compulsory celibacy

But: The hierarchical power structure in the Catholic Church, the intransparency and the discrimination against women must be changed, Greiner says. Hans Hollenstein, president of the Catholic church council in Winterthur, agrees. He welcomes the fact that the Bishop of Chur, Joseph Maria Bonnemain, is now investigating the abuse scandal - but new structures are needed as soon as possible.

Hollenstein sees a problem with the bishops. They have an executive and judicial function at the same time, he says. "There needs to be an independent investigative authority and an independent court at the diocesan level." The bishops themselves are no longer comfortable in their dual role.

Sexuality is part of human life - and if you are supposed to suppress that all your life, for example as a priest, that is an impossible task for young men.

Hans Hollenstein, who used to be a member of the Zurich government for the Centre, also addresses fundamental issues. For him it is clear: compulsory celibacy must be abolished and the church urgently needs a more open sexual morality: "Sexuality is part of human life - and if you are supposed to suppress that all your life, for example as a priest, that is an impossible task for young men."

Women should also be allowed to work as pastors

And it is not only celibacy that Hollenstein questions. He also vehemently demands that women can work as pastors. In this regard, one could learn from the Reformed Church, where many female pastors do very good and important work, he says.

This almost toxic combination of these hierarchical power structures and only men in positions of power - that can be dangerous.

Markus Greiner also agrees with this. The current situation in the Roman Catholic Church is untenable, he says. "This almost toxic combination of these hierarchical power structures and only men in positions of power - that can be dangerous", he is convinced and adds: This could actually encourage assaults.

The demands of the Catholic base are clear and unambiguous. The crucial question is whether and how quickly the spiritual leadership of the Church will react. One thing seems certain: without far-reaching reforms, the Catholic Church will probably not be able to restore its credibility.

Outrage in the basis

Bishops' taxes under scrutiny after abuse revelations

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Following the recent revelations of sexual abuse within the Church, the Central Conference of the Swiss Catholic Church (RKZ) fears that the situation will not change unless it exerts pressure. The body is threatening to cut taxes for the bishops. For Frédéric Favre, State Councillor for Valais, the cantonal authorities must have a say in the Church's activities.

"We can no longer trust the bishops to be willing to change the structures and the situation sufficiently to reduce sexual abuse", Urs Brosi, Secretary General of the Roman Catholic Central Conference (RKZ), tells the RTS programme 19h30.

In Switzerland, this is the first time that money has been used to put pressure on the Church. A few days after the revelations of numerous cases of sexual abuse, the RKZ fears that nothing will change.

In the Sunday press, Zurich's Minister for Religious Affairs Jacqueline Fehr promises to demand accountability. "The conditions attached to the state contributions are an effective lever to stop the procrastination of reforms", she declares. According to the newspaper Blick, the Catholic Church in Zurich receives the most money in Switzerland: almost CHF165 million per year.

The Catholic Church in Switzerland collects more than one billion Swiss francs every year. These are raised mainly through taxes from citizens and businesses, but also through contributions from the public sector.

In French-speaking Switzerland, church taxes are levied in the cantons of Jura, Fribourg and Valais. The canton of Vaud supports the church financially with part of its general taxes. In Geneva and Neuchâtel, the two cantons only provide for a voluntary contribution.

If we provide financial support, we can rightly expect that the abominable acts that have been revealed will not be repeated.

This financial leverage could give politicians a say. However, the Catholic cantons of Valais and Fribourg, interviewed by 19h30, reacted in different ways: "If we provide financial support, we can  rightly expect that the abominable acts that have been revealed will not be repeated", says Frédéric Favre (Radical-Liberal Party), State Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport in Valais. "We have the right to exert pressure, including financial pressure", the minister insists.

Another canton, another opinion. Fribourg State Councillor Jean-Pierre Siggen (The Centre) is more reserved. He believes that the tax cannot be changed simply by threats or pressure. "Since the state maintains regular relations with the church, we can assure the concerned population that we are monitoring the smooth functioning of the church and the measures it takes", he says.

Financial pressure on the Church

Find out where you stand

Abuse in the Church: why don't victims report it in Ticino?

Five cases have been reported in the canton in just under 15 years - Criticism of the management of the Lugano diocese archive

Five cases in just under 15 years - that is remarkably few, considering that the Roman Catholic Church has a much stronger presence in Ticino than in the German- or French-speaking part of Switzerland. On the other hand, there is no church-independent contact point for victims of sexual violence within the church in southern Switzerland. The Zurich researchers spoke of a strong reluctance on the part of the victims to come forward. Fabiola Gnesa, judge and president of the diocesan expert commission, also confirms this to RSI: "Every year I had to send data to the national commission and was asked why there was none from Ticino." She explains this reluctance with a "cultural problem": "I don't think we have to apologise" for not persuading those concerned to turn to the panel, she says, but then admits: "We have the task of taking testimonies, we can't go looking for them, those are just our guidelines." Certainly more can and will be done though." The experts stressed the importance of these commissions being perceived as truly independent. "We have tried very hard to create a certain transparency to the outside, and perhaps that is exactly what has been lacking so far", Gnesa says.

Although the commission is linked to the diocese, it has always worked "transparently and autonomously", she recalls. However, other avenues are open to victims, such as the Victim Assistance Service of the Canton of Ticino (LAV): The apostolic administrator, Monsignor Alain De Raemy, has asked to have an open ear for reports in the church. And he can take a dossier all the way to the Zurich compensation commission without informing the diocese.

The difficulty in identifying possible cases in Ticino is also related to the management of the archives of the diocese of Lugano. The researchers found boxes of documents "summarily sorted by subject". But not only that: in the secret archives, documents on sexual abuse, but also on behaviour that is problematic in the eyes of the Church, such as relationships with adult women and men, are fragmentary due to archiving practices, making it difficult to reconstruct cases. Several sources also suggest the destruction of documents without the required summary. It is reported that in 1995, according to a letter from the Vicar General to the Apostolic Nuncio, a priest was ordered by the then Bishop Eugene Corecco to burn documents on sexual abuse. However, the priest in question, when contacted by the researchers, denied the facts "so that it is impossible to confirm with certainty that the documents were destroyed".

Why don't victims report in Ticino?

Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church – a global problem


Switzerland has taken its time with an independent study on sexual abuses in the environment of the Roman Catholic Church. This is shown by a comparison with other countries such as the US.

In 2002, a team of journalists from the "Boston Globe" exposed a system of cover-ups and transfers of priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. They were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their research.

Since then, sexual abuse by clergy, religious and church employees of the Roman Catholic Church has been present in the public debate. However, the process of working through the issue began earlier.

US : In 1985, the "Doyle Report" showed that the Archdiocese of Boston had spent $10 million covering up sexual abuse cases. The authors of the report made it clear that transparent processing was necessary in order to continue to be credible as a church. Boston Globe journalists later revealed an elaborate system of cover-up.

In 2004, an internal church report on the crisis in the Catholic Church in the USA was published, as well as an independent study that identified 10,667 possible cases of sexual abuse and 4,392 accused between 1950 and 2002. Lawyers in particular were the driving force behind the investigation.

Ireland : In 1995, the case of a priest who abused 90 children over a period of years caused outrage. In 1997, the Irish government accepted responsibility for systematic abuse cases in church institutions, because of the close ties between the state and the church in Ireland.

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Reports from Catholic children's homes are particularly well known. In 2002, an official investigation was conducted under pressure from state officials. Further investigations into dioceses and homes followed.

Germany : In 2002, the German bishops responded to the scandals in the US and Ireland by issuing guidelines for dealing with sexual abuse. But it was not until reporters revealed abuse at a Berlin Jesuit school in 2010 that archives and personnel files were reviewed. 

In 2014, an independent study was commissioned that identified 1,670 suspects and 3,677 victims for the years 1946 to 2014. Individual dioceses also commissioned bishopric-specific studies.

France: Several cases of abuse cases came to light in 2016. The Archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who is said to have covered up abuses by the priest Bernard Preynat, came into the spotlight.

After the "Preynat-Barbarin affair" was made public, bishops and religious congregations commissioned an independent study in 2018 that estimated 2,900-3,200 suspects and 330,000 victims since the 1950s.

Portugal : 2021 bishops commissioned an independent study, which was published this year. Since 1950, there are said to have been more than 4,800 cases of sexual abuse by clergy and church employees.

Italy: In 2022, the victims' organisation "Rete l'ABUSO" published a report. An independent study into allegations is missing.

Poland : There is hardly any social debate on the issue. To date, there has been no broad-based independent study.

Spain : The media has reported abuse in Spain but no systematic procedure exists to document cases. The Roman Catholic Church refuses, but the media draw attention to cases of sexual abuse. The national newspaper "El Pais" has documented around 1,000 cases since 2018

A global problem

What next after Swiss Catholic Church sexual abuse revelations?

An official inquiry into the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland has identified over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse since 1950. The Vatican has also ordered an investigation into high-ranking Swiss Catholic clerics. A look at the aftermath of the disturbing revelations that have shaken the Church.

An extensive, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland, commissioned by the Swiss Conference of Bishops and led by two University of Zurich historians, revealed over 1,000 cases since 1950, including accusations against 510 people. With few exceptions, those accused of wrongdoing were male. Over half of the victims were men or boys, and three-quarters of the documents showed the sexual abuse involved minors.

Over half of the cases took place during pastoral care and about 30% occurred in places like schools, homes and boarding schools. Some incidents took place during confessions or consultations. The researchers found many cases were “concealed, covered up or downplayed”.

“Church officials routinely transferred accused and convicted clerics, sometimes even abroad, in an effort to avoid secular criminal prosecution and secure reassignment for clerics,” they said. “In doing so, the interests of the Catholic Church and its leaders were placed before the well-being and protection of parishioners.”

The Zurich researchers went through thousands of pages of documents, gathered by church authorities. But they said many sources of information haven't been properly studied. In some cases, documents had been destroyed to cover up any alleged wrongdoing.

They noted that the Holy See’s embassy in Switzerland had denied their request for access to its archives. And there were “major obstacles” when trying to consult the archives at the Vatican itself.

The researchers have been promised another CHF1.5 million ($1.68 million) to pursue the study through 2026.

Investigation launched into Swiss Catholic clerics linked to abuse

Just two days before the report was published, the Swiss Conference of Bishops announced a Vatican-ordered investigation into high-ranking Catholic clerics in Switzerland in connection with sexual abuse. It said there were allegations against several active and retired bishops as well as other clergy for their handling of abuse cases.

Specifically, they are accused of covering up abuse cases. There are also accusations that some committed sexual assaults themselves in the past. Media reports say the Vatican received a letter with the allegations in May and subsequently appointed Swiss bishop Joseph Bonnemain to head an investigation into his confreres.

Since the news broke, senior Catholic leaders from across the country have held press events or released statements to clarify their positions, apologise, announce the filing of criminal complaints against suspects or promise change.

“As ecclesiastical institutions, we carry a great share of responsibility,” the Swiss Conference of Bishops said. Members of the church hierarchy “must face up to this guilt” and the necessary consequences, they added.

“We are committed to a change of culture within the Church,” declared Charles Morerod, bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg. He backs proposed reforms, such as new institutional structures for reporting cases, psychological control of candidates for priesthood and a ban on the destruction of documents about abuse cases.

Morerod is purportedly accused, along with Jean-Marie Lovey, the current bishop of Sion, of not intervening or following up following alleged abuse cases. Both do not exclude resigning. On Wednesday Morerod was rushed to hospital to undergo surgery.

“We’ve been telling them for ten years to do something about the abusers and nothing has moved. What the victims need to hear today is that ‘there was abuse and we are going to sanction’. But the church does not sanction people right now,” Sylvie Perrinjaquet, president of CECAR, an independent sexual abuse commission, told Swiss public television, RTS.

Jacques Nuoffer, chair of the Swiss victims’ support group SAPEC, lamented that the structure of the Church “poses a problem and slows everything down”. “Each bishop is independent and has all the power,” he said.

To ensure internal governance changes, more authority should be given to lay people within the Church, argues Laurent Amiotte-Suchet, a sociologist of religions at the Vaud School of Health Sciences. It’s important that grassroots demands reach the “top of the pyramid” to help transform the institution via its religious councils, he told RTS.

“We should also try to remake the priest as an ordinary person,” he added.

Nuoffer hopes religious schools and monasteries will now use this opportunity to encourage victims to come forward and denounce past cases of “unacceptable behaviour”. He would also like to see the setting up of a national call centre for victims as well as more resources for research into the legal, psychological and sociological aspects to shed further light on the problem of abuse within the Church.

But he recognises that there is still much work to be done. “The psychological tests of priests would be a step in the right direction,” he told RTS. “The measures announced by the Swiss Conference of Bishops need to be fine-tuned. For the moment, they’re just words. We need to see what’s going to happen. Then we can play a role in pushing, in making things clearer and more effective.”

What next after the abuse revelations?

More than a thousand cases of sexual abuse in Switzerland - criticism of the dioceses' case management. Can the Catholic Church deal with the cases?

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