Abuse prevention: Benedictine monasteries commit to psychological assessments

Members of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation recently agreed to a voluntary commitment. According to this, the men's monasteries will introduce psychological assessments for members of the order – just as the bishops have been doing for their prospective employees since June.

The Church should build high walls against abuse

The superiors and delegates of the Swiss Benedictine monasteries met from June 10 to 12 for the Congregational Chapter at the Marienberg Monastery in Vinschgau, in the Italian region of South Tyrol. Vigeli Monn, Abbot of Disentis and President of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation, made this known in response to a request from kath.ch.

Bishops' resolution discussed

At the meeting, the monastery representatives discussed, among other things, the decree of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (SBK) regarding the introduction of psychological aptitude tests for future pastoral workers from March 11.

This is one of the measures against sexual abuse and its cover-up that the national church leadership had adopted in September 2023 – in response to the recently published pilot study on the history of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church

This decision was made by the SBK, the Roman Catholic Central Conference (RKZ), and the Conference of Associations of Religious Orders and Other Communities of Consecrated Life (KOVOS).

"Members of religious communities should also undergo standardiwed psychological assessments as part of their training." Quote from the Swiss Benedictine Congregation's Commitment

The Swiss Benedictine Congregation now states in its new Commitment: The suitability assessment of future pastoral workers "does not only concern future priests, permanent deacons, and other pastoral workers." Rather, "members of religious communities should also undergo standardized psychological assessments as part of their training."

To give weight to this concern, the member monasteries of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation agreed on a Commitment of their communities on June 11, as stated in this Commitment.

Assessment as part of training for religious life

"With the signature of the responsible superior, each monastery commits itself to making a psychological assessment a constitutive part of its own training for religious life," it continues. The paper contains open fields for place, date and signature.

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