An official investigation into the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland has found almost 1,000 instances of sexual abuse since 1950.
The report mentioned that many kids were affected, and 56% of the victims were boys. Most of the people who were accused were men.
Scientists from the University of Zurich also discovered proof of a “commonly hidden” situation.
The study’s leaders said that the cases we found are just a small part of a much bigger problem.
Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier worked together to put together the report after investigating for a year. The Church asked them to do this investigation.
They were allowed to look at the Church’s records and also spoke with a few individuals, including those who were hurt by sexual abuse.
But they mentioned that many other papers were still not accessible.
The scientists also discovered proof that some important documents were destroyed at two church administrative districts, and that not all instances of sexual abuse were written down and stored.
“Based on our knowledge of the hidden aspects of crime, we believe that only a small amount of cases were actually reported,” explained Ms. Dommann and Ms.
More than half of the cases happened during times when religious activities were happening, like confession, altar service, and children’s religious education.
An additional 30% of abuse was discovered in places like Catholic children’s homes, day schools, and boarding schools.
In addition to recording cases of sexual abuse, the researchers also studied how Church officials handled these incidents and found that many were hidden, concealed, or minimized.
Their report said that many officials, such as bishops, did not do enough to help the people who were affected.
Clergy members who were accused of committing abuse were regularly moved to different jobs by people in influential positions. Sometimes, they were even sent to work in other countries to avoid facing legal punishment. This reassignment happened repeatedly and was done on purpose to protect them from prosecution.
This means that the Catholic Church and its leaders cared more about their own interests than the well-being and safety of the people who go to church.
The researchers stated that people’s perspective remained the same until the 21st Century, when different instances of sexual abuse started coming to light.
“We are sad to say that the initial investigation has confirmed what we have noticed and, in some situations, are still going through,” organizations supporting survivors of sexual abuse stated in a statement reacting to the report.
“For many years, the leaders of the Catholic Church in Switzerland have hidden these crimes, shielding the people who committed them and preserving the image of their organization while ignoring the suffering of the victims who were silenced. ”
The leader of the Catholic Church in Switzerland said during a meeting with reporters on Tuesday that they were disappointed with the organization’s actions and felt that they did not provide enough support for the victims.
Renata Asal-Steger said that we try to find words, but we are aware that we will not find the correct ones.
The church has promised to provide money for a future project by the University of Zurich. The project will start in 2024.