Now Switzerland hit by sex abuse scandal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The church sex abuse scandal unravelling at Roman Catholic-run schools and institutions across Europe has reached Switzerland, where senior clergy admitted yesterday that 60 cases were under investigation.
Abbot Martin Werlen, of the Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln, said reports of abuse had been submitted to the Swiss church authorities in the wake of the disclosures in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Poland and Holland.
He said the Swiss Catholic Church was investigating the cases. "We find it important that the victim himself determines what steps to take," Abbot Werlen said. The Abbot, who is a member of a bishop's conference investigating the allegations, has indirectly criticised the Catholic church in other countries for appointing bishops to investigate abuse cases.
Abbot Werlen has proposed setting up an independent organisation to deal with such cases which would not be directly attached to the church. "There should be an independent body that victims can go to," he insisted. He said that investigations still had to show whether all the allegations of abuse in Switzerland were genuine.
In Germany, priests holding a service in a Catholic church in the Bavarian town of Bad Tölz were shouted at by outraged members of the congregation on Sunday for defending a fellow priest who had been convicted of sexually abusing adolescents.
It emerged last week that the convicted priest had been on duty in the Pope's then diocese of Munich-Freising during the 1980s.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments