“I apologize” Cardinal Koch's cardinal sin: The Adolf Files

The priest Adolf G.* kissed a nine-year-old and invited minors to the sauna. Bishop Kurt Koch and his successor Felix Gmür did not report him.

The University of Zurich charges Kurt Koch. His successor Felix Gmür also did nothing against the priest Adolf G. (name known).

The Swiss Kurt Koch (73) has one of the most exciting jobs that the Vatican has to offer: he used to be Bishop of Basel, today he is a cardinal - and the ecumenical minister of Pope Francis (86).

Unlike in Switzerland, where ecumenism is often understood as aperitif parties for elderly Catholics and Reformed Christians, co-operation between Christian denominations in the Vatican is considered a highly explosive matter.

For example, it's about Putin's extended arm, the Russian Orthodox Church: Shortly after the start of the Ukraine war, Pope Francis and Cardinal Koch tried to influence Moscow Patriarch Kirill (76) in a Zoom conference - but without success.

Abuse study weighs on Cardinal Koch

Since the University of Zurich's abuse study was published, Koch has now had another problem. The authors of the study, historians at the University of Zurich, accuse the most powerful Swiss church prince, one of only two cardinals in the country, of not reporting cases of abuse to either the police or the Vatican. Koch's successor in Basel, Felix Gmür (57), also did nothing.

The central figure of this scandal is portrayed in the study “K.S.” called. Research by SonntagsBlick shows: The priest Adolf G.* is behind the pseudonym.

He was a staunch conservative: born in Romania in 1945 as a member of the German minority, he later preached in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In 1985 he became a priest in the Diocese of Basel, and in 1988 he took up a position as pastor in Utzenstorf BE, where he worked for almost 20 years. He died in 2019.

The Diocese of Basel was informed about this as early as 2003

G. was assaulted several times: in 2003, a victim reported to the Diocese of Basel and reported "several sexual abuses both at home and in the context of his work at the Jungwacht and as an altar boy," writes the University of Zurich.

A few months later, the priest had to go to the Diocese of Basel and respond to the allegations. A nine-year-old boy accused G. of forcing French kisses on him. G. signed a statement stating that there had never been “any form of sexual contact between him and children/young people”.

“The matter was therefore temporarily settled for the Diocese of Basel; further consequences are not apparent from the files,” the study states. In 2005, the priest was returned to his Romanian home diocese under canon law, but remained in Switzerland as a pensioner.

After 2005, more affected people came forward. During his active time as a pastor, G. invited minors to the sauna and asked them to undress in public during youth group outings.

Why didn't Koch involve the public prosecutor?

Although G. no longer belonged to the Diocese of Basel under canon law, the then bishop Kurt Koch would have been obliged to bring the allegations to the attention of the public prosecutor. He should have carried out a preliminary ecclesiastical investigation and reported the case to Rome. “The reasons why this did not happen are not clear from the documents consulted,” writes the University of Zurich.

When another affected person made allegations against G., the Diocese of Basel demanded that the priest turn himself in. The study states: “It is not clear from the documents whether a report was actually filed and no information can be found in the relevant state archives.”

Regarding the inaction of Koch's successor in the G. case, the diocese of Basel said: "Bishop Felix Gmür assumed that the then Bishop Kurt Koch did everything to the best of his knowledge and belief."

Koch did not adhere to the guidelines of the Swiss Bishops' Conference

Koch spoke for the first time about the Swiss abuse study to SonntagsBlick. Regarding the Adolf G. file, he says that the employees in the human resources office initially wanted to process the case personally and clarify it in advance: “This approach was not intended to cover up anything.”

The guidelines of the Swiss Bishops' Conference and canon law provided for something different. Koch admits: “From today's perspective, I have to admit that this approach did not work satisfactorily and that it was a mistake not to take the planned measures. I regret this, especially with regard to the victims, if this approach gave them the impression that we did not take them seriously. I apologize for that.”

“All church leaders must face their responsibilities and have the cases investigated externally.”

The youth organization Jungwacht Blauring (Jubla) is horrified by the failure of Koch and Gmür: “The current structures in the Catholic Church encourage abuse and cover-up,” says managing director Andrea Pfäffli (34). “Jubla Switzerland has been calling for changes in the Catholic Church for years. This includes equality for all genders, more democratic structures, more control mechanisms and the willingness for a radically transparent reappraisal.”

Jubla managing director Pfäffli sees Cardinal Koch and Bishop Gmür as having a duty: “All church leaders must face their responsibility and have the cases investigated externally.”

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