https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66790394.amp

I particularly like this What! People should be going to jail. WTF is a follow-up project? Prosecute!

The church isn’t some minority group they can use as a political punchbag, though.

It’s safely hidden pervs and kiddie fiddlers for centuries with impunity.

And anyone who destroyed documents or hid this should be jailed as an accomplice. We can't change the past but we can damned well put the fear of god (pun intended) into anyone who considers doing it in the future.

It's sad that no prosecution is made. On the other hand, 1950 was long ago. Oldest victims should be 75 or 80 years old. Perpetrators probably death since since years ago. So, for the oldest cases not much more than "research" can be done.

Tangential issue....is Renata a woman? President of tthe governing body of the Catholic Church in Switzerland? I think I'm missing something here.

Renata is indeed a woman.

https://www.rkz.ch/content/details/w...asal-steger-lu

You can bet the abuse goes well beyond the 1950s. It is likely still going on today. Abuse won’t stop until the Church is held fully accountable.

Any perpetrator still alive should be prosecuted, regardless of age. These (insert expletive of your choice) must be made to pay for their crimes. They ruined lives using the cover of godliness and authority, which makes the evil so much worse. Throw the book at the abusive clergy, and every single person involved in the coverups.

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This is one instance where I am glad that the US ‘lawsuit culture’ gives the little guy a weapon. Hit ‘em where it hurts most: Church assets. The American Catholic Church was finally forced into a reckoning when lawsuits started bankrupting parishes. That, and the fed-up laity stopped donating, forcing the bishops to finally listen. Too bad Swiss church tax takes that power away from the parishioners.

What else would someone named Renata be?

Tom

In the meantime all clergy should be banned from being alone with a minor child. Another adult, preferably a woman and/or a relative, should be in the same room.

A battery?

Only relative to this thread as it's the Catholic church but I read the other day that Luzern University was advertising for a new lecturer in Jewish studies.

Criteria: Position was not open to those of the Jewish faith. Only Catholics need apply.

Just to back that up. https://www.timesofisrael.com/swiss-...-the-position/

That's a matter for the police, surely? If there's evidence of criminality, the police need to investigate.

I disagree, there are a lot of religious figures out there doing a lot of good. There should be a better oversight and any accusations handed to the police, but lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Having accompanied children on meetings with the clergy also protects the clergyman. This rule was introduced in schools decades ago because of accusations and allegations, some of which were true and some that were malicious.

Also in the crosshairs of prosecution should be those spineless morons that knew it was going on but never spoke up.

By all means lets tar every cleric with the same brush to satisfy your agenda while leaving all the other potential perpetrates free to continue on their merry way.

We need to talk about serious solutions not gut reactions. By this stage it should be very clear that an time there is an adult in loco parentis there is the possibility that the child will be abused. And accordingly every adult in such a situation be the teacher, cleric or the local scout leader should be required to go through a rigorous vetting process with no exceptions whatsoever. And if there is even the slightest doubt of a problem the authorisation should be denied or withdrawn in the case of an authorisation granted. And this should be public, so that parents etc can consult it.

__________________
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela

Guilty by association? Even though people are accused of crimes they didn't commit all the time, it doesn't mean this is OK. Thankfully there is no "guilty by association" charge.

It was introduced in the Scout Association in the U.K. too to protect both adults and children.
A leader should never be alone with a child.

What makes the Catholic church, and its members feel they need to do things differently?

Accountability, that would be awesome. Lots of people have been willingly kept their eyes closed and ears shut in the name of "tradition" because taxes support them.

I'm not a lawyer and mostly ignorant about this. Anyway, is this kind of abuse something that can be investigated under the initiative of the Swiss justice system (ex-officio) or something that needs the complain of the affected persons? Also, is there some prescription period for this in Swiss law?

Hopefully, they throw the book at them.

Sorry for my ignorance. I thought women were excluded from the admin jobs in the Catholic Church. A nice day to be less ignorant

What do you guys not understand about 'hundreds' and 'tip of the iceberg'?

What harm could imposing such a rule have? What would any clergy-person have to lose by not being allowed to be alone with a child?

Many of the cases are so long in the past that the perpetrators have been dead for decades. However, not all of them and it seems like we will get more of this in the near future: https://www.20min.ch/story/jean-scar...n-798883703962

(First investigation into a very senior abbot started)