Pope Francis arriving at St. Peter's Square the day he compared abortion to hiring a hitman.
Keystone
In protest against Pope Francis’s incendiary remarks equating abortion with the hiring of a contract killer, six prominent Swiss women have resigned from the Catholic church.
They are former Swiss parliamentarians Cécile Bühlmann and Ruth-Gaby Vermot, Anne-Marie Holenstein and Monika Stocker, as well as the feminist theologians Doris Strahm and Regula Strobel.
The Swiss feminists made a joint announcement saying they would “no longer support the patriarchal power apparatus of the Roman Catholic Church” through their membership.
All six have been fighting for change for decades and continue to do so today, according to the Catholic women’s organisation Schweizerischer Katholischer Frauenbund: SKF, which regretted but understood the decision.
Pope Francis compared abortion to “hiring a hitman” during his general audience at St. Peter’s Square on October 10.
The remarks caused an uproar among feminists in Italy and beyond who want women to benefit from safe access to abortions.
More
More
Anti-abortion demo held in Bern
This content was published on
Around 1,500 anti-abortionists took part in a “March for Life” rally in the Swiss capital on Saturday, amid a heavy police presence.
This content was published on
In Switzerland, women have the right to an abortion, but relatively few of them exercise that right, compared to many other European countries. How come?
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
Switzerland announces candidacy to chair OSCE in 2026
This content was published on
Switzerland is officially in the running to chair the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2026, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
Switzerland assumes protecting power mandate for Ecuador in Venezuela
This content was published on
At Quito's request, Switzerland will represent Ecuador's interests in Venezuela, the Swiss foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
Swiss researchers find security flaws in AI models
This content was published on
Artificial intelligence (AI) models can be manipulated despite existing safeguards. With targeted attacks, scientists in Lausanne have been able to trick these systems into generating dangerous or ethically dubious content.
Two Swiss nationals indicted for supporting Islamic State
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed charges against two Swiss nationals, aged 22 and 28, who are accused of supporting the banned terrorist group Islamic State.
This content was published on
The Swiss parliament has finalised the 2025 federal budget, with the army receiving more money at the expense of foreign aid.
Switzerland expresses sympathy after earthquake hits South Pacific
This content was published on
"Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu who are struggling with the consequences of this devastating earthquake," the Swiss embassy in Australia said.
This content was published on
The Swiss agricultural sector is to benefit from greater federal support between 2026 and 2029, after a vote by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Lawmakers approve reparations for child victims
This content was published on
Whereas the initiative calls for the creation of a CHF500 million ($514 million) reparation fund, the government counterproposal would create a fund of CHF300 million to be distributed to an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 victims, with each person receiving a maximum of CHF25,000. The counterproposal was seen as the better alternative by a majority of…
This content was published on
Whereas in 2008, foreign women were responsible for 6% of the total number of abortions carried out in Switzerland, by 2014 this figure had dropped to 3%. Since 2002, there have been around 11,000 abortions in Switzerland, although this figure has continued to decrease slightly for the past four years and remains comparatively very low…
This content was published on
But the result of the ballot – a constitutional amendment – is set to be challenged to a second vote at a later stage. A group led by members of a small centrist party pledged to collect signatures to bring down a law already prepared by parliament to implement the constitutional reform. A practice which…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.