Swiss bishops worried that SSPX will split

Schweiz: Bischöfe diskutierten über Piusbrüder

Switzerland: SSPX bishops were discussed

if the Holy See agrees with the SSPX on a full reintegration into the church, this would have far-reaching consequences, especially for the Catholic Church in Switzerland, says the President of the Swiss Bishops Conference, Bishop Norbert Brunner to Vatican Radio. Econe, the headquarters of the SSPX lies in Brunner's Diocese of Sitten. The bishops met in the recent days for their plenary meeting in Einsiedeln.

"It was not a main theme of our General Assembly. But on the sidelines of the Bishops' meeting, we talked about it because various media have announced that an agreement between Rome and the SSPX is imminet. Of course, it is difficult to comment on it, unless specific details of the agreement are known.  But a point which concerned us relates to a possible schism within the SSPX. 

Because then we would have solved only part of the problem. "

Moreover, it would depend on what structure the SSPX would obtain said Bishop Brunner. A personal prelature based on the model of Opus Dei was a topic of conversation.

Topic: Ecumenism

The official theme of the General Assembly this week, however, was an extension of the recognition of baptism. So far, a settlement was reached in 1973 which included the Catholic, Protestant and Old Catholic Churches. The expansion will involve all possible churches in Switzerland, which are members of the so-called Council of Christian Churches.

"Because there are also other churches represented, mutual recognition should therefore now be extended. This is especially true for the Orthodox churches."

The Orthodox community is growing in the Alpine country and is now one of the largest denominations in the country. Recently, the Catholic bishops have also officially met representatives of the Orthodox. At the meeting there were at Einsiedeln to a review of this ecumenical meeting.

"That was the first meeting ever, that we have done undertaken in this form. We raised some issues that we want to pursue. This will take place especially between the Ecumenical Centre at Chambesy near Geneva and Bishop Charles Morerod, who is our bishop with this responsibility".

Topic: asylum in Switzerland

The Union of Orthodox churches in Switzerland has only existed for about a year. For several years, however, the subject of "asylum" is a hot issue in Switzerland that affects the church.

“Human dignity and the dignity of Christians should be granted in all countries. It is then particularly a matter of solidarity with minorities. This is a concern that we share with many people. This concern applies not only to asylum seekers who seek refuge in Switzerland, the same goes for others who are persecuted in other countries."

Bishop Brunner recalled the plight of Christians in the Middle East. Unfortunately according to Brunner, few doubt that the situation will get worse rather than better.

Topic: sexual assault

The guidelines of the Bishops' Conference on "sexual abuse in the church context" have been revised in recent months. They adapt to changing requirements of canon law, which relate to the changing of the statute of limitations and because of some changes resulting from the experience of recent years. The revision was suggested by the CDF.