Catholic authorities criticised over paedophile Capuchin friar
The head of the Swiss Capuchins said friars' initial and ongoing training involved dealing with questions of sexuality in order to prevent future cases of abuse
Keystone
The Swiss order of Capuchin Friars and the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg have been heavily criticised in a report into a former Catholic priest, who for decades abused victims in Switzerland and France.
An investigation carried out by an independent commission said on Tuesday that a former Capuchin friar had sexually abused various people but only 24 victims had been formally identified so far by the justice system: 22 in Switzerland and two in France. The Swiss cases never went to court as they were too old and beyond the legal deadline on when victims can bring civil suits or prosecutors can press charges.
The inquiry was launched after the book “Mon Père, je vous pardonne” (My Father, I forgive you) was published in Switzerland in 2017. The autobiography was written by Daniel Pittet, a man from Fribourg who was sexually abused by the priest when he was a child.
The abuser, who was stripped of his religious title in May 2017, is 77 years old and has lived in a convent in canton St Gallen since 2009.
The commission found that the overall number of cases involving the priest were the same as had previously been reported. However, it said that from the first complaints made to the friar’s superiors in the 1970s up to the 2000s, the Catholic Church had revealed numerous successive failings. The Swiss religious authorities had not reacted to the warnings and had later simply transferred the priest to another location.
The report said the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg had also not helped victims and had not filed any complaints to the police, even after the friar admitted committing abuse in 1989.
The head of the Swiss Capuchins, Agostino Del Pietro, apologized on behalf of the order for not taking the crimes seriously, for the lack of appropriate measures and for not reporting the friar to the police.
“Such a thing should never happen again,” he declared on Tuesday.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
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
Swiss Catholic Church commission to examine abuse victims’ cases
This content was published on
The commission is ready to receive compensation requests from victims of paedophile priests, Joseph Bonnemain, from the Conference of Swiss Bishops, told the Swiss News Agency on Tuesday. The formal creation of the six-person commissionExternal link in January follows the establishment of a CHF500,000 ($498,000) compensation fund for victims of abuse by members of the…
Victims’ fund available to Catholic Church abuse victims
This content was published on
At the moment, the newly created fund contains CHF500,000 ($495,500) to compensate abuse victims, who may receive a single payment of up to CHF10,000 ($9,966) according to last year’s plan for the fund. Bishop Charles Morerod, the head of the Swiss Bishops Conference, said on Monday that the fund “only covers prescribed cases” while recalling…
Swiss Catholic Church sex abuse victims may seek reparations
This content was published on
The fight against sexual abuse within the Catholic Church took a step forwards on Tuesday with the official launch of CECAR, a sexual abuse commission that is “neutral and independent of the authorities of the Catholic Church”. CECAR is the result of almost six years’ negotiations and agreement between victims’ groups, parliamentarians and the Swiss…
This content was published on
The Swiss Bishops Conference has announced the creation of a fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse. Individuals may receive a single payment of up to CHF10,000 ($9,966), depending on the case.
This content was published on
Only around 20 criminal cases have been opened against priests and Catholic monks for sexual abuse in Switzerland since 2010, despite the church catching 172 alleged offenders.
This content was published on
“Where are all the Swiss priests who have been accused?” demands Gérard Falcioni, a ski guide and herdsman from the village of Bramois in canton Valais. Falcioni was himself a victim of abuse by a local priest from the age of five. Since 2002 he has been one of the few people in Switzerland to…
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.