Study: Abuse in church environments: 1002 cases in Switzerland

In Switzerland, at least 1,002 cases of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church have been uncovered since the middle of the 20th century. Historians at the University of Zurich reported that 510 accused and 921 affected people were identified.

It was the first time that an independent research team was able to view files on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in church archives in Switzerland.

To assume a high number of unreported cases

“The identified cases are undoubtedly just the tip of the iceberg,” said professors Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier, who led the project. Numerous archives could not yet have been evaluated. It can be assumed that only a small proportion of the cases were reported. Numerous other cases were “hidden, covered up or trivialized”.

Cases ranging from “problematic border crossings to the most serious, systematic abuses that lasted for years” were uncovered. Perpetrators were Catholic clerics, church employees and members of religious orders in Switzerland.

They were often transferred to avoid secular prosecution. “The interests of the Catholic Church and its dignitaries were placed above the well-being and protection of parishioners,” the study said.

Many underage victims

Around 39 percent were female and almost 56 percent were male. For five percent, the gender could not be clearly determined in the sources. With a few exceptions, the accused were men. Almost three quarters of the cases involved minors.

The experts speak of a pilot study. A larger investigation is to follow. “In the future, the co-responsibility of the state should be examined more closely, especially in the social charitable and educational areas, because tasks were often delegated to the church, especially in Catholic areas,” the university said.