Hit with the bishop's staff: Catholic Press Association criticises the Swiss bishops and take shelter in bunker!

The Swiss Catholic Press Association (SKPV) criticises the Swiss bishops. The way they attacked the kath.ch editorial team was shocking, it was said at the annual meeting in Naters VS. The Executive Committee wants to seek dialogue with the bishops.

Several participants at the meeting in Naters criticised the latest blow with the bishop's staff that the Swiss bishops had taken against the German-language editorial office of kath.ch. They were shocked by this. They were dismayed by this.

It is true that one can discuss the justification of the bishops' accusations, they said. But it was above all the way in which they were expressed that shocked them.

Attack wrapped up in a press release

In six lines of a press release, an attack was launched against the editorial staff of kath.ch, without any prior exchange. Such a thing could only cause confusion and unrest, it was said. All the more so as the new auxiliary bishop of Basel, Josef Stübi, had just taken over the office of media bishop for German-speaking Switzerland.

The Bishop thinks the time of celibacy for all priests is past and women can be ordained.  Neither his dress or his views distinguish him from the world.

According to the Press Association people, the timing of the bishop's accusations was also incomprehensible. After negotiations, the Bishops' Conference (SBK), the Roman Catholic Central Conference (RKZ) and the Catholic Media Centre Zurich had announced on 22 December that they had reached an agreement on their future co-operation, the measures to be taken and options for conflict resolution. The Catholic Media Centre Zurich is home to the editorial office of kath.ch.

Journalistic independence demanded

It was also made clear at the press association meeting that the SBK could only review the mission of kath.ch in consultation with its partners, the RKZ and the Katholisches Medienzentrum Zürich. Those present also stressed that the right to criticise, even if it is annoying or displeasing, must remain a cornerstone of journalistic independence.

In view of this crisis, the Press Association Board announced that it would request a meeting with the SBC to discuss these issues.

Annual report, "Christ und Welt- Christ and the World"

The Press Association meeting also discussed the annual report, which is now online. And about other activities of the association. For example, that with "Christ und Welt" it offers a religious page for Swiss-German publications. And that the media collection and the campaign for Media Sunday came from them.

The Swiss Catholic Press Association met in the Swiss Guard Museum, which is located in a military bunker in Naters. After the meeting, those present toured the museum, which was opened in 2006.

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