Police now investigating Swiss Catholic sexual abuse
Valais police tasked with investigating abuse cases
The public prosecutor's office in Valais has opened a preliminary investigation in connection with possible sexual assaults in the environment of the Catholic Church. The cantonal police have been instructed to investigate "possible criminal offences in Valais that are not statute-barred or have already been dealt with in the report on the pilot project on the history of sexual abuse in the environment of the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland since the mid-20th century".
The pilot study by the University of Zurich was commissioned by three Catholic bodies, including the Swiss Bishops' Conference (SBK).
The researchers counted 1002 cases of sexual abuse since the middle of the 20th century. In their view, this is only the tip of the iceberg, as most cases were not reported and the documents destroyed.
19 cases since 2015
In Valais, the Abbot of St-Maurice, Jean César Scarcella, was accused of suspected sexual abuse and its cover-up in the preliminary investigation ordered by the SBC. He had announced last week that he would leave his post until the investigation was completed.
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