Morerod defends election to head the Bishops’ Conference
Published: Friday, Dec 6th 2024, 12:40
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Following critical media reports on his election as the new President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference, Charles Morerod has published a letter from Rome about himself. It concerns his handling of cases of abuse in the church.
In it, Morerod notes both "evidence of trust and two accusations", as he wrote in a press release on Friday. The trust refers to the fact that there was no cover-up. This also confirms what the Attorney General of Fribourg published in December 2023 following a dialog with his colleagues in French-speaking Switzerland.
"In the letter, I am thanked for my closeness to the victims," the communiqué continues. "I am accused of not always having initiated a canonical investigation: This is true," he added. "About four months after I became bishop, I met with victims who told me that they no longer trusted the internal church procedures and called for the establishment of an independent commission."
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