Swiss bishops visit Pope to deal with sexual abuse
Published: Wednesday, Nov 15th 2023, 17:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Nov 15th 2023, 17:13
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Pope Francis received the President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (SBK), Felix Gmür, and the Bishop of Chur, Joseph Bonnemain, on Wednesday. The Swiss Catholic Church is the subject of a Vatican investigation into allegations of sexual abuse cover-ups.
The purpose of the visit to the Holy See on Wednesday was to "present to the Pope the measures that the Swiss bishops wish to take", as the SBK explained to the Keystone-SDA news agency following a report by the Italian news agency Ansa. The visit was "positive".
The concerns of the SBC were "met with understanding during the joint exchange", according to a statement from the Swiss Bishops' Conference: "The SBC is pleased that the measures taken can be gradually implemented."
In September, the SBC 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 1002 cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland, which had been committed by more than 500 priests or employees over decades since the middle of the last century. A "culture of silence" was denounced.
Last Thursday, during a visit by the Pope to the Vatican, Federal President Alain Berset declared that the Federal Council expected the Catholic Church to quickly carry out a thorough investigation and take effective measures against abuse.
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