Researchers Unearth Hundreds of Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests in Switzerland

An official inquiry into the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland has identified nearly 1,000 cases of sexual abuse since 1950.

Many involved children and 56% of the victims were male, the report said. The vast majority of the accused were men.

Researchers from the University of Zurich also found evidence of a “widespread cover up”.

Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier compiled the report following a year-long investigation, which was commissioned by church authorities.

They were given access to church archives and also held interviews with several people, including those affected by sexual abuse.

However, they said “numerous” other documents had not yet been made available.

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The researchers also found evidence that records had been destroyed at two dioceses and that not all reported cases of sexual abuse were written down and consequently archived.

More than half of the cases identified happened during instances where pastoral case was taking place, particularly during confession, altar service and religious education in children’s clubs and associations.

A further 30% of abuse was found to have been committed in institutions including catholic children’s homes, day schools and boarding school.