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The scandal turns Switzerland upside down. 1002 times of sexual abuse. High number of unreported cases. Destroyed files. Perpetrators who were protected. A new study from the University of Zurich shows the terrifying extent of abuse in the Catholic Church since the mid-twentieth century. The cases range from border crossings to the most serious, systematic abuses.
Politicians also reacted with shock to the revelations. Your belief that the church will now ruthlessly clean up is limited. Now she is responding with a raft of political demands.
SVP Council Member Mike Egger (31) wants to raise criminal law. In concrete terms: Sexual abuse of children and young people must become non-legal. Of the more than a thousand documented cases, approximately three quarters involve underage victims. However, many cases have been covered up for so long that they are now time-barred and remain unpunished.
According to the Criminal Code, there is no statute of limitations for sexual abuse of children under the age of twelve. However, different limitation periods apply to 13 to 18 year olds. For Egger, this is “unsatisfactory, because the protection of minors against sexual violence must be fundamentally strengthened.” He calls on the Federal Council in a motion to extend the provision to victims up to the age of 16.
“Politicians didn’t look closely enough either.”
FDP state councilor Doris Fiala (66) calls for an expansion of the investigation into cases of abuse: “Politicians have not looked closely enough in the past.” She is convinced that some political leaders have covered up the church’s transgressions. “Those traditionally closely associated with the Catholic Church are particularly responsible.” In doing so, she is addressing, among others, the Center Party, which was previously called the CVP. But she does not want to see this as an election campaign maneuver. “I will no longer participate in the upcoming elections. I am interested in clean processing.”
Fiala has now submitted a proposal with various questions. She sees this as the first step for a revaluation, which must go further: for Fiala, financial compensation for the victims must also be considered. “The incidents remind me of the problem of having children.” The state paid the victims compensation of 25,000 francs. “It would be a first sign, even if such trauma cannot be healed with money.”
Fiala herself is a member of the Catholic Church, although she describes herself as agnostic. “I’ve thought about leaving a few times.” But she stayed – and will even give a speech at an ecumenical ceremony next Sunday. Suitable for bus and bed day.
Companies also pay church tax
Green National Councilor Franziska Ryser (31) speaks about church tax. The companies must also pay these; there is currently no way to exempt yourself from this. Ryser wants to change that. “For example, if an abuse victim has founded a company, can he still be justified in paying taxes to the church?” she asks. But she does not want to abolish taxes in general. The Federal Council had already rejected such a proposal – at the time by current SVP faction leader Thomas Aeschi (44) – ten years ago. The answer was that this was a matter for the cantons.
Source:Blick
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