Theologian at University of Lugano acquitted of homophobia
The 68-year-old professor at the University of Italian-speaking Switzerland (USI) had been accused of authorising the publication of a homophobic article in a theological monthly publication of which he is the editor.
KEYSTONE
The police court in Bellinzona has acquitted a German professor at the Faculty of Theology in Lugano of charges of discrimination and incitement to hatred.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
The 68-year-old professor at the University of Italian-speaking Switzerland (USI) had been accused of authorising the publication of a homophobic article in a theological monthly publication of which he is the editor.
The man, who had pleaded not guilty, appeared in person before the Bellinzona police court last Monday after objecting to a fine of CHF9,450 ($10,373) and one for CHF1,850 in December 2022.
The verdict had been postponed from April 15 to April 22. A spokesperson informed the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA that the panel of judges required more time to reach a verdict.
There was no ideology to discriminate against homosexuals, said Judge Petra Vanoni on Monday, in one of the first sentences after the Swiss people, on February 9, 2020, accepted the extension of the anti-racism rule to prevent any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
More
More
Swiss roundly back protection against LGB discrimination
This content was published on
Voters have endorsed a proposed law to make it illegal to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.
The professor had been accused of discrimination and incitement to hatred because he had authorised the publication of an article by a Polish theologian in the German Catholic monthly magazine Theologisches. The text compared homosexuals within the church to “a cancer, unscrupulous parasites and a gay mafia”.
The man was reported to the police by Pink Cross, the umbrella organisation for gay and bisexual men in Switzerland. The defendant’s lawyer demanded an acquittal for his client, as the article in question did not contain any attacks on all homosexuals, but only on those who had “tainted” themselves with paedophile crimes within the church.
More
More
Court drops case against bishop who denounced gays
This content was published on
Pink Cross, the umbrella association for Swiss gay groups, announced on Friday that the cantonal court’s appeals body decided there was insufficient evidence to take up criminal proceedings against the 74-year-old bishop. The gay rights group will also have to pay costs and compensation amounting to CHF1,500 ($1,514). “The situation is unsatisfactory and demonstrates the…
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
Swiss court recognises obesity as a disability under certain conditions
This content was published on
People suffering from obesity are now entitled to social benefits under certain conditions, following a ruling by the Federal Court.
Environment minister outlines Swiss efforts to limit global warming
This content was published on
Switzerland will do its part to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who's attending COP29 in Baku.
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.