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Pope’s hardening views lets down Swiss Catholics

For some Catholics in Switzerland, there's disappointment in the latest of the Pope’s stances on homosexuality in the clergy  and abortion.  

The book, “The Strength of Vocation” was published in 10 languages at the beginning of December. It’s based on four hours of interviews, held at the Vatican in August, between Pope Francis and the Spanish-born missionary priest, Fernando Prado.

Among the numerous themes touched in the 120-page-long book, the pontiff tackles, above all, the theme of vocation and the missions of the clergy.

Homosexuality as a ‘fashion’

“In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the Church,” the Pope is quoted as saying. The text goes on to reiterate the Catholic church’s long-standing opposition to homosexual priests and nuns.

At the beginning of October, at a general audience Rome’s St Peter’s Square, the Pope also spoke sharply on the matter of abortion, comparing the procedure to ‘hiring a hitman to resolve a problem’.

Swiss Catholic women

Expressing their disappointment at the Pope’s stance were some leading Swiss Catholic women interviewed in our report, including Simone Curau, President of the Catholic Women’s FederationExternal link and Franziska Driessen-Reding, president of the Synodal Council of Canton ZurichExternal link.

According to the Federal Statistical OfficeExternal link, 36.5% of the Swiss population is Roman Catholic. However, numbers are dwindling. 

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(SRF, swissinfo.ch)


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