In April 2022 the Swiss Bishops' Conference, KOVOS (the conference of religious orders' unions) and RKZ (the Central Roman Catholic Conference of Switzerland) jointly commissioned a team of historians at the University of Zurich, led by Professors Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier, to investigate the history of sexual abuse in the Swiss Catholic Church after the bishops' own secret archives were opened to researchers for the first time. Published 12 September 2023 as a pilot project, the first systematic academic attempt of its kind in Switzerland, the study documented 1,002 cases of sexual abuse since the mid twentieth century, committed by 510 accused clergy and religious against 921 victims, 74 percent of them minors. The historians themselves describe the total as "the tip of the iceberg," since most cases were never reported and many records had been destroyed. In the six months after publication, more than 160 further alleged victims came forward across several dioceses, corroborating the researchers' own warning.
Facts
Documented Findings
Accused Documented Allegations DocumentedThe study's own count of documented cases of sexual abuse, distinct from its 510 accused clergy and 921 victims, since a single case can involve more or fewer than one victim. Victim EstimateBoth independent accounts agree on 921 victims out of the study's 1,002 documented cases; the researchers themselves regard this as an undercount given destroyed and unexamined archives. Key FindingThe study's own historians describe their 1,002 documented cases as "without a doubt only the tip of the iceberg," since most abuse was never reported and church records were in places deliberately destroyed; the more than 160 additional alleged victims who came forward within six months of publication, most from a single diocese, bore that warning out immediately. 2 Inquiry Profile
Kind of RecordChurch-Commissioned Report 1 JurisdictionRoman Catholic Church in Switzerland, national 1 Commissioned BySwiss Bishops' Conference, KOVOS and RKZ (Central Roman Catholic Conference of Switzerland), conducted by the Department of History, University of Zurich 1 Publication Year Period Covered, FromBoth accounts describe the period covered as "since the mid twentieth century" without a single exact start year; 1950 is used as the round figure both sources use. Period Covered, ToThe study documents cases "since the mid twentieth century" with no later closing year named beyond its own 12 September 2023 publication. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Belongs to Tradition
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.