The heritage of Father Josef Bruhin: pioneer of the Jesuit break

The heritage of Father Josef Bruhin: pioneer of the Jesuit break

Father Josef Bruhin SJ, an outstanding personality in Swiss Catholicism, died in Zurich on Friday afternoon. He was significantly involved in the changes that led to the abolition of the Jesuit ban in the 1960s and 1970s.

From 1966, Bruhin lived in Zurich, where he dealt intensively with the topic of his dissertation: "The two Vatican Councils and the State Church Law of the Swiss Federal Constitution". His academic and political efforts were crucial for the abolition of two of the three anti -Katholical exceptional regulations that had long been anchored in the Swiss Basic Law.

influence on the church

Josef Bruhin played a central role in the transformation of Zurich and Swiss Catholicism, especially in the transition from the pre -conciliars to the post -conciliary period. His commitment in various church and civil society commissions as well as committees has left profound traces.

from 1975 to 1981 he acted as the provincial of the Swiss Jesuits before working in different functions within the Jesuit Communauté and the magazine “Orientation” until 2009. From 2011 to 2021, Bruhin Worked with Christian M. Rutishauser SJ, the provincial of the Swiss Jesuits.

The Jesuit was born on July 10, 1934 in Lachen SZ and, after completing his schooling in the Benedictine Gymnasium Einsiedeln, entered the novitiate of the Jesuits in 1954. Bruhin studied philosophy and theology in Vienna and Lyon and was ordained a priest in Mariastein in 1965. He took off his last vows in Zurich in 1974. Father Josef Bruhin's contribution to church life in Switzerland remains unforgettable, and his death marks the end of an important era.