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Switzerland hit by Catholic Church sex abuse scandal
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
The church sex abuse scandal unravelling at Roman Catholic-run schools and institutions across Europe has reached Switzerland, where senior clergy admitted yesterday that 60 cases were under investigation.
Abbot Martin Werlen, of the Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln, said reports of abuse had been submitted to the Swiss church authorities in the wake of the disclosures in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Holland.
He said the Swiss Catholic Church was investigating the cases. "We find it important that the victim himself determines what steps to take," Abbot Werlen said. The Abbot, who is a member of a bishop's conference investigating the allegations, has indirectly criticised the Catholic church in other countries for appointing bishops to investigate abuse cases.
Abbot Werlen has proposed setting up an independent organisation to deal with such cases which would not be directly attached to the church. "There should be an independent body that victims can go to," he insisted. He said that investigations still had to show whether all the allegations of abuse in Switzerland were genuine.
In Germany, priests holding a service in a Catholic church in the Bavarian town of Bad Tölz were shouted at by outraged members of the congregation on Sunday for defending a fellow priest who had been convicted of sexually abusing adolescents.
It emerged last week that the convicted priest had been on duty in the Pope's then diocese of Munich-Freising during the 1980s.
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I applaud the parishioners of Bad Toltz for their human expression of anger and outrage. How would you feel being ministered to by defenders and supporters of a "convicted" sex abuser of teens.
All priests, Bishops, Cardinals who knew about the sexual abuse and repeated rape of minors, but who said nothing, are complicit to the abuse and crimes.
Since the church leaders seem incapable of truthful investigation and full open disclosure of all past sins and crimes, the state and police should be involved.
The Swiss abbot is right, at the very least there needs to be an independent investigative body.
The fear of a loss of hierarchical power and moral credibility makes the church insiders incapable of this task.
Posted by Geoff | 18.03.10, 13:02 GMT
#there are other christian religions who follow the gospel to the letter.#
Oh really?
You obviously haven't read the "gospels" If you think that.
Posted by Alan C. | 16.03.10, 19:24 GMT
Take your own advice and leave. Having left, please do not interfere. And good luck.
Posted by John O'Brien | 16.03.10, 19:09 GMT
I think we have still seen only the tip of the iceberg on all this even in Ireland. There may yet be an exposure of the political guilty, all over the world, because it is difficult to believe that this was so widespread without political protection and compliance and involvement in the abuse.
Posted by Keith | 16.03.10, 16:43 GMT
Now another country switzerland at the centre of child abuse by paedophilia priests, if ever a faith needed to be left in droves this is it, to not do so gives credence to crimes of the worse sort against children, and who can you run to now for help ,certainly not a priest he could very well have been involved, there are other christian religions who follow the gospel to the letter.
Posted by liam | 16.03.10, 06:57 GMT