Valais authorities investigate allegations of abuse in Ecône
Published: Saturday, Jan 13th 2024, 16:00
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The Valais authorities are investigating allegations of abuse at an elementary school run by the Fraternity of St. Pius X in Ecône VS. This was announced by Director of Education Christophe Darbellay (center) on Saturday to the French-speaking Swiss radio station RTS in response to a report by the daily newspaper "Le Temps".
In the newspaper report, a former pupil had made allegations of violence against the school. He had suffered this there in the 1980s.
The Valais authorities will be looking into an elementary school run by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X in Ecône in Valais. The background to this is the statement made by a former pupil in the newspaper "Le Temps", denouncing the violence he suffered at the school in the 1980s.
The now 41-year-old man said that he had been beaten with sticks in front of classmates with his pants down even before he was eight years old. He had also suffered physical, psychological and sexual violence at a boarding school in France that was close to the Brotherhood.
According to Darbellay, the Valais authorities now want to investigate whether these unspeakable practices are still being carried out. If necessary, the authorities will take the necessary precautions and order measures to be taken, he added.
The head of the Department of Education, Jean-Philippe Lonfat, will visit the private school in central Valais on Monday morning accompanied by two inspectors, he confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency. "Following these revelations by 'Le Temps', the aim is to ensure the safety and well-being of the pupils," added the head of the service.
Last June, a priest from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the jury court in Vendée in western France. The court had tried him in camera for rape and sexual assault on a total of 27 minors.
Reproaches worldwide
According to the newspaper's research in Belgium and France, the Brotherhood is at the center of a number of allegations of sexual abuse worldwide. The newspaper has collected numerous testimonies in which influence peddling and sexual violence have been alleged.
The Society of St. Pius X is a breakaway branch of the Catholic Church that was founded by Archbishop Lefebvre in Ecône VS in the 1970s. Its headquarters are located in Menzingen ZG.
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