Church tests new procedures: This is how priests are checked for their suitability!

Church tests new procedures: This is how priests are checked for their suitability!

The Catholic Church in Switzerland will draw consequences from the blown abuse scandals and will introduce a stricter recruitment system for its employees in the future. According to a report of the Swiss radio and television (SRF) , all future church employees have to complete a comprehensive psychotic test before taking their service. This test was developed in cooperation with the forensic psychologist Jérôme Endrass and is intended to serve to identify problematic personalities at an early stage. Endrass said that both the technical qualifications and potential risk factors of the applicants are analyzed to recognize abuse tendencies.

The new test: Basic procedure

The new system is based on a thorough risk analysis, in which experts examine characteristics that could indicate a possible risk in religious function. Particular attention is paid to behavioral patterns that show the struts of rule and dominance, as well as abnormalities in sexual development and relationship management. The duration of the test is about a day and one hopes to minimize miscarriers. However, the system is not without defects; Endrass warns: "It is not a perfect system, but it is a much better system than the previous one."

In response to the latest revelations, which revealed more than 1000 cases of abuse in the church, further measures were also decided. This includes creating independent contacts for those affected and the professionalization of personnel system. As SRF reports, plans to present detailed information about the new recruitment system in mid-January. The spokesman for the Zurich Church, Simon Spengler, said positively about the step, but emphasized that there were still open questions about handling, for example what happens to those who do not pass the test or are negative after the ordination.