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The Catholic Church’s abuse complex is full of depths. It affects not only priests from the past, but also people from the present. People like Peter.
Peter, whose real name is different, is creative and charismatic. He works as a youth worker for the Reformed and Catholic churches. And he is active in floorball as a coach of women’s teams. In 2021, he suddenly resigned from the Catholic Church. Research shows: This step prevented him from being kicked out. Women accused him of overstepping boundaries and abusing his power. The Public Prosecution Service investigated allegations of sexual acts with addicts, but ultimately could not prove anything criminally relevant. The Zurich city police interviewed a total of eleven women.
Because Peter also worked as a floorball coach, a complaint was received by Swiss Sport Integrity. The organization cares about fairness in sport and investigates rule violations – from doping to sexual harassment.
Ban on sports bras
One player says of Peter: “He forbade us to wear sports bras that we could slip into. Our bras need to open quickly. So he can immediately undress us and massage us.” The suspect contradicts: “I don’t remember a statement about sports bras and I can’t imagine saying something like that.” Another player reports that the former coach asked her to give him a massage. She participated because she really wanted to be nominated.
Swiss Sport Integrity has now responded. The reporting center confirms that it has reached an agreement with the floorball coach – a way to shorten the procedure. Swiss Sport Integrity declined to release details. According to information from SonntagsBlick and kath.ch, Peter has been suspended for two years: since September 14, he is no longer allowed to train women or work as a team manager. In addition, he must take 25 psychological coaching lessons at his own expense and pay 3,500 francs.
But Peter is also said to have exploited his position of power as a church youth worker. When he traveled with young people to Spain and Morocco in February 2020, he allegedly massaged the bare upper body of a young person. According to a document from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Zurich, the then 16-year-old reported that Peter said: “It would be better for the massage if she took off her bra. (…) When the suspect was massaging her, he pushed one of her breasts aside and massaged her breast next to her breast.”
No consequences
Peter was in a gray area. He violated the principles of proximity and distance that apply in youth work. However, his behavior had no criminal consequences. Prosecutors say he used no violence or made any threats; It cannot be assumed that there was coercion.
Even as a youth worker, Peter behaved remarkably. He massaged women who were subordinate to him in the office. And in the evening the youth worker wrote some infamous things. So he asked a woman on WhatsApp: “What are you looking at?” Professional conversations often took place in bars and the alcohol flowed freely. Sometimes we also went to a hammam, a Turkish bath.
And why didn’t the women defend themselves? “I wish I had been stronger and said no,” said one affected person today, who later filed a complaint. But the deadline had passed: she should have reported the sexual harassment to the police within three months. “It took me more than three months to realize that I had fallen victim to his manipulation.”
The Catholic city association remains inactive
However, the matter is still discussed in church circles. Unlike Vicar General Luis Varandas (45), who forwarded the accusations directly to the public prosecutor’s office, the direct employer, the Catholic City Association of Zurich, took no action. He did not release Peter, but left him on notice.
Peter admits to SonntagsBlick: “I have made mistakes, even though not all the accusations are true. I had a proximity-distance problem and sought professional help.”
Then he adds: “I apologize to anyone I hurt.”
* The research took place in collaboration with the church portal kath.ch.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
