Laity want to starve Bishops of money in Switzerland

RKZ President Renata Asal-Steger: National churches could stop church taxes to bishops

No more church tax money for the bishops - that is something the President of the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ) and Lucerne Synod Councillor, Renata Asal-Steger, can imagine. "I don't rule out that in future we will refuse to pay the bishops money if there is too little movement." Fundamental structures of the church would have to be changed to prevent abuse in the church context.

Renata Asal-Steger is president of the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ), the umbrella organisation of the Roman Catholic regional churches. She is also a synod councillor of the Lucerne Regional Church. The latter contributes to the financing of the Basel diocese with church taxes.

If all ten cantons, which hand over part of the income from church taxes to the Diocese, were to join in this boycott, the bishop would be short 3.8 million francs, Asal-Steger said in an interview with the "SonntagsZeitung". "He would no longer be able to carry out his duties as a result."

Women's participation, separation of powers and sexual morality

In the interview, the RCC President commented on the pilot study on abuse in the Catholic Church in Switzerland, which was presented at the University of Zurich on Tuesday. The fundamental structures that made abuse cases possible had to be changed, Asal-Steger said. "Women's participation, the division of powers in church law, sexual morality. We have to rethink all that if we want to solve the problem."

She is also a member of the RCC committee that compensates victims of abuse in the Church. The maximum amount for this is 20,000 francs. "The amount was based on compensation payments from the state. But it is true that compared to other European countries, this is not particularly generous," said the synod councillor.

Parishes share responsibility

Asal-Steger said that the state church was also partly responsible for the cases of abuse that had come to light. "The employment of priests and extended staff is also the responsibility of the parishes, i.e. the authorities under state church law. The new study cites an example where a person continued to be employed even though it was known that he had already been convicted of an assault." The human resources system must therefore be professionalised, the exchange of information clarified and the destruction of files stopped.

Asal-Steger described the cooperation between regional churches on the one hand and bishops and abbots on the other as a challenge. "We in the Regional Church have sovereignty over church taxes, so we are jointly responsible for what is done with the money. You can't separate the two sides so clearly." This sometimes leads to discussions, "but this is the way we have to go".

Criticism of investigation by Bishop of Chur

The RCC president criticised the fact that the Vatican preliminary investigation, which was opened against some Swiss bishops, is in the hands of the Bishop of Chur. The latter must now investigate his colleagues. "This is already very questionable and shows that the question of power must be clarified," Asal-Steger said. "Sharing and control of power and transparent procedures are essential."

Abolition of compulsory celibacy

Asal-Steger also called for the abolition of compulsory celibacy in the Catholic Church. "Those who find this way of life right for themselves should be allowed to continue to live it, but it should no longer be compulsory for the priestly profession."

Catholic clerics and religious have committed at least 1002 cases of sexual abuse in Switzerland over the past 70 years. This was revealed by the historical pilot study published on Tuesday.

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Cathcon:  This is all about money and power, where the sexual abuse scandal is being instrumentalised.