Church reform: National Criminal Court for Misuse cases in sight!

Church reform: National Criminal Court for Misuse cases in sight!

In a pioneering step, the Swiss Bishops' Conference announced that the establishment of a national church criminal court has now reached within reach. The highest court of the Catholic Church, the apostolic signature in the Vatican, has given the necessary "Nihil Obstat" notice, which means that the church is fully behind this project. In Switzerland, this court is intended to bundle the existing canon law responsibility of the individual diocesanization at the national level. This significant decision comes after the publication of a pilot study on sexual abuse in the church environment in September 2023, which apparently increased the pressure on the church to take measures such as kath.ch reported.

Responsibility for the development of the construction decree and the statutes of the new court lies with a working group that works under the direction of Bishop Joseph Maria Bonnemain. This measure is considered crucial to tackle systematic abuse cases within the church and to strengthen the credibility of the institution. The Swiss Bishops' Conference, which was founded in 1863 and consists of the bishops of the six Swiss dioceses, regularly holds meetings to discuss important topics and find solutions. The current situation shows how seriously the church takes the problem of sexual abuse while trying to convince the public of its willingness to reform, as bischoefe.ch notes.