Leading sexual abuse prevention officer in Swiss Catholic Church resigned in June

Karin Iten leaves Diocese of Chur: "It has become increasingly difficult for me as a feminist woman".

The prevention officer Karin Iten was known beyond the boundaries of the diocese. She spoke out clearly on the exaggeration of the celibate priesthood and on ecclesiastical power - as well as the resulting danger of spiritual and sexual abuse. Now she is leaving the diocese of Chur.

Karin Iten is leaving the Prevention Office of the Diocese of Chur. She had been in this position since August 2020. Together with her colleague Stefan Loppacher, she conceived the "Code of Conduct for Dealing with Power. Prevention of spiritual abuse and sexual exploitation". The code of conduct was adapted by the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg.

At the same time, the code of conduct repeatedly led to tensions. The conservative circle of priests in Chur, for example, refused to sign it. Dean Rudolf Nussbaumer said that forcing the priests to sign the Code of Conduct was an abuse of power.

Code of Conduct led to resistance

"After initial resistance, the code of conduct is now largely undisputed and an integral part of the church's prevention work," says Karin Iten in the media release of the diocese of Chur. "It has been implemented in the parishes and church institutions at the pastoral level as well as at the level of church law. An important milestone has thus been reached." Now is a good time to pass on the sceptre and devote oneself to another task, he said.

Church ignores equal opportunities

One reason for her leaving is the church structures: "As a feminist-oriented woman, I can hardly reconcile the systemic exclusion of women from church office with my sense of justice." She says she found it increasingly difficult to work in an organisation that ignores equal opportunities.

Bishop Joseph Maria Bonnemain regrets Karin Iten's departure: "I greatly appreciate her expertise and her many years of experience in the field of prevention. She will leave a great vacuum in this regard," reads the media release from the Diocese of Chur.

"Karin Iten has courageously and unflinchingly named the deeper causes of abuse in the Church. Her honest voice will be bitterly missed by us as a Church," says Synodal Council President Franziska Driessen-Reding in the release.

New position with non-church child protection organisation

"After the successful orientation and introduction of the code of conduct, the time has therefore come for me to shape my professional future outside the church," says Karin Iten. In the future, she will work for a non-church child protection organisation.

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