Allegations against Bishop Morerod are not relevant under criminal law
Published: Wednesday, Dec 20th 2023, 14:20
Updated At: Wednesday, Dec 20th 2023, 14:20
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The Attorney General of Fribourg has not responded to the allegations made by Pastor Nicolas Betticher against Bishop Charles Morerod. The allegations were already known to the judiciary and no criminally relevant abuse was uncovered.
This was announced by the Fribourg public prosecutor's office on Wednesday. In May, Betticher had accused Bishop Morerod in a letter to the Vatican representation in Bern of having known about sexual abuse allegedly committed by three priests and not reporting it.
Morerod had appointed two of them to posts of which they were unworthy due to their past, Betticher further accused the bishop. Betticher is the former vicar general of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg and current parish priest in Bern.
Morerod had ensured that Betticher's letter was handed over to the Freiburg investigators, the statement continued. The public prosecutor's office also emphasized the "outstanding cooperation" of the diocese with the police. Even reports of a non-criminal nature were forwarded to the police.
Further allegations proved to be irrelevant
The investigations revealed that the allegations made were already known to the judiciary before the letter of May 2023. The allegations had not been substantiated or possible abuses were time-barred.
Further accusations made by Betticher against the bishops Alain de Raemy and Peter Bürcher as well as the former nuncio Jean-Claude Perisset proved to be either insufficient or not relevant under criminal law. According to the communiqué, the Attorney General therefore issued a non-prosecution order on Monday.
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