Charter against abuse in the Catholic Church in Valais
Published: Friday, Nov 17th 2023, 16:00
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The canton of Valais and the diocese of Sion want to combat sexual abuse in the Catholic Church with a joint charter. The declaration of principles stipulates, among other things, that every pastoral assistant (priest, deacon or layperson) must submit a criminal record and a special private extract when they are hired.
These documents must be renewed every five years, as the Valais Department of Security, Institutions and Sport (DSIS) and the Diocese of Sion jointly announced on Friday. The charter was drawn up following the publication of the report by the University of Zurich on sexual abuse in the church in September. The declaration commits the Diocese of Sion to the department responsible for the church to comply with and implement its content, the statement continued.
According to the charter, pastoral assistants will also be obliged to take part in a prevention course in future. Pastoral staff are also to undergo a standardized psychological assessment. Furthermore, pastoral assistants will only be appointed or hired if a detailed analysis of their file has been carried out beforehand.
The charter also stipulates that no archive material on abuse will be destroyed. In order to combat abuse, the diocese will also set up a new prevention commission.
19 known cases in Valais since 2015
A study published by the University of Zurich in September shook the Catholic Church in Switzerland. The report documented over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland since the middle of the 20th century.
According to the researchers, this is only the tip of the iceberg, as most cases were not reported and documents were destroyed. The study does not include a breakdown of victims by diocese. The Bishop of Sion, Jean-Marie Lovey, spoke of a total of 19 cases of sexual abuse in the canton within the Catholic Church since 2015.
©Keystone/SDA
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