Interim abbot of Saint-Maurice accused of sexually abusing novice
The interim abbot of Saint-Maurice in southwest Switzerland has been accused of sexual abuse in a report by Swiss public television, RTS. The previous abbot, whom the man replaced, is currently being investigated as part of the Catholic Church sex abuse affair.
The Greek and Latin teacher at the high school will no longer give lessons “until the facts have been clarified”.
“We take these revelations seriously and empathise with the victims,” the head of the Valais Department of Education, Jean-Philippe Lonfat, told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA on Monday. As far as he knew, the offences of which the man is accused were not connected to the college, Lonfat added. According to RTSExternal link, the interim abbot allegedly abused a novice.
The decision to suspend the man from teaching was communicated to the teachers and pupils on Monday morning. The Saint-Maurice high school has been in public hands since the signing of an agreement between the state and the abbey in September 2021.
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“We will quickly analyse the possible impact of the RTS revelations on the agreement signed in 2021 between the state and the abbey, which governs relations between the two institutions,” Lonfat added.
In the past, the majority of the college’s teaching staff consisted of clergy. Today, of the 100 teachers working at the school, there are only three teaching canons. Among them are the current rector and the accused interim abbot.
The man took over the management of Saint-Maurice in September after Abbot Jean Scarcella resigned. Scarcella is being investigated in the Catholic Church abuse affair by the apostolic special investigator Joseph Bonnemain. Saint-Maurice is not under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Sion, but reports directly to the Vatican.
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Nine cases in Saint-Maurice
According to a report published on Sunday by the RTS programme Mise au Point, nine priests are allegedly involved in cases of sexual abuse within Saint-Maurice. Most of the cases covered in the programme took place between 1995 and 2005.
The journalists relied on court documents as well as testimonies from victims and interviews with former employees of the institution.
In a statement, Saint-Maurice said it was “co-operating fully with the legal and ecclesiastical authorities”. Of the nine cases mentioned in the RTS programme, only one is currently pending, three have been decided in the last 20 years and five canons have been deceased for more than 15 years, the abbey added.
Saint-Maurice shares the pain of those affected and regrets that the church can involuntarily become the scene of such injustices, it said. It added: “The community of canons trusts that the civil and canonical authorities will treat all cases fairly and make just decisions.”
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