Lucerne will withhold the second half of the annual payment to the bishopric in autumn 2024. A special committee of the Synod will evaluate the measures taken. “A thunderbolt has hit the Catholic Church,” commented information portal kath.ch. “I report to the Pope.” The bishop of Basel, seen as a source of hope, was alienated by the cantonal synod’s confrontational stance. Some of the demands had already been implemented, he argued; others had been raised in Rome by the Swiss bishops. There was a lot he could not do under his own authority: “I report to the Pope and no one else,” Gmür told the synod. Other cantonal churches, although in agreement with Lucerne’s position, refrained from imposing their own sanctions. There is widespread agreement that the abuse saga stems from deeper problems within the Catholic Church, with regard not only to its hierarchical structures, but also to its outlook and opinions. The Central Conference of the Roman Catholic Church argues for “the abandonment of rigid and homophobic sexual morality” as well as “the unconditional acceptance of church staff living in partnerships”. The Zurich researchers also raise the question in their study as to whether “characteristics specific to Catholicism” may have facilitated the sexual abuse: sexual morality, celibacy, gender roles within the church, and its ambivalent stance regarding homosexuality. The academics will look at these – and other aspects – in greater depth. More in-depth research will ensue from the pilot study. The church has committed to that until 2026. The study is available via the following link (in German): revue.link/kirche Chur Bishop Joseph Bonnemain had to investigate alleged cover-ups involving fellow bishops. Rome appointed him to the task. Photo: Keystone against fellow bishops on his own. As a result, Bonnemain was assigned an expert in criminal law and a cantonal judge to support the investigation. The bishop of Chur intended to deliver his report by the end of 2023 (after this edition of “Swiss Review” goes to press). Depending on the outcome, the papal authority may initiate disciplinary measures or open proceedings under ecclesiastical criminal law. Meanwhile, among the rank and file the impression has grown that, despite assertions to the contrary, the bishops will not go far enough to resolve the problem. The Central Conference of the Roman Catholic Church issued a number of demands. These are designed, inter alia, to establish a separation of powers in canon law. That would mean having a nationwide tribunal involving laypersons and church figures. Unrest among the faithful Catholic parishes all over the country felt the fallout from the report as people left in droves. This church exodus has admittedly been an issue for some time, however, and it affects both the Catholic and the Protestant churches, Switzerland’s largest and second largest faith groups, respectively. Thousands of people are leaving both churches every year. In the canton of Lucerne, a Catholic heartland, the cantonal church was so alarmed that it resorted to open rebellion. In September, 14 church councils decided to block payments of their church taxes to their Basel diocese (see interview). In November, the synod, the parliament of the Lucerne Cantonal Catholic Church, came out in favour of the rebels. It paid an advance on the condition that the bishop of Basel, Felix Gmür, commit to a more effective approach to combat abuse. Otherwise, The church pews – here in St. Gallen – have been slowly emptying for years. Many people are leaving the Roman Catholic Church. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / January 2024 / No.1 6 Focus
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