New dimension of systemic abuse in Switzerland

Nine Canons of Saint-Maurice – a new dimension of systemic abuse

It is a blow that runs deep. It has been known from the Saint-Maurice monastery since Sunday evening that nine priests are involved in cases of sexual assault on minors. Some of them are still in office. “RTS’ research uncovers not just individual cases, but an entire system,” says Charles Martig in the commentary. "That's shocking."

Not much is known about sexual assault from the religious community. Now a bomb has landed in western Switzerland, in the oldest monastery north of the Alps. It is the Augustinian Order in Saint-Maurice.

On Sunday evening, the RTS television broadcast a detailed and deeply researched report about the Augustinian canons in the program “Mise au point” at prime time. A total of nine priests are now known to have committed sexual assaults on children and young people in the last three decades. Some of these criminal offenses are investigated by the police. But some of them were dropped again.

Victims are brushed off

Some of the alleged perpetrators are still in office. This is shocking. Victims have been trying for years to contact the canons and confront them with their testimonies of sexual assaults in Saint-Maurice. But they are brushed off, marginalized and silenced.

RTS's research uncovers not just individual cases, but an entire system. The clergy of the Augustinian Order protect their institution and prevent concrete evidence of sexual assault from being investigated. They have benefited from their status for a long time: “The priest was like God to us,” says one victim of abuse from Valais.

Boarding school as an opportunity for perpetrators

Even more serious is the fact that the Saint-Maurice monastery ran a boarding school until 2021. It is also involved in many activities with youth and children. There were and are many opportunities for pedo-criminal perpetrators here. And the abbot of the monastery did nothing about it. Rather, Jean César Scarcella himself is one of the alleged perpetrators. He resigned from office in mid-September after allegations of sexual harassment against him became known.

The Saint-Maurice monastery did not want to comment to RTS. The Bishops' Conference had arranged an appointment with RTS on Thursday to discuss the specific questions and comment on them. The appointment was canceled by the SBK at the last minute. So a “no comment” from this side too.

Indolence takes its revenge

While the Einsiedeln Monastery began dealing with sexual assaults in 2011 and published figures, the Saint-Maurice Abbey waited more than a decade. Now this indolence is taking its revenge. The cases of the Augustinian canons are exposed by the media. The system behind the abuse is the real scandal. And the inaction of the abbots in charge of Saint-Maurice.

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