Inquiry uncovers 1,000 abuse cases in Swiss church

An official inquiry into the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland has unveiled 1,000 cases of sexual abuse since 1950, alongside signs of a systematic cover-up.

The report, compiled by researchers from the University of Zurich following a year-long investigation commissioned by church authorities, revealed that many of the victims were children, with 56 percent male.

In a statement, the authors disclosed that they discovered 1,002"situations of sexual abuse" within the Swiss church, affecting 921 people and involving accusations against 510 individuals, reported the Associated Press.

"The cases we identified are without a doubt only the tip of the iceberg," said the study's lead researchers, Monika Dommann and Marietta Meier.

The investigators, who were granted access to church archives and who conducted interviews with several individuals, including victims of sexual abuse, discovered that records had been destroyed at two dioceses and that not every reported sexual abuse case was documented and subsequently archived.

"Given what we know from research on the dark figure of crime, we assume that only a small percentage of cases was ever reported in the first place," they said.

The research team scrutinized thousands of pages of confidential documents compiled by church authorities since the mid-20th century, but noted that many information sources have not been fully examined.

The study disclosed that in half the cases identified, the abuse, which occurred nationwide, took place during pastoral care time, when clergy are in a position of authority or trust.

Around 30 percent of incidents took place in settings including schools, homes, and boarding schools, with some occurring during confessions or consultations. The investigators revealed that many of these cases were "concealed, covered up, or downplayed".

The report asserted that to evade secular criminal prosecution, accused clerics were frequently relocated, even internationally.

The researchers reported being denied access to the Holy See's Swiss embassy archives and faced "major obstacles" accessing Vatican archives.

The University of Zurich is due to start a follow-up project next year, which church authorities have committed to funding.

"Unfortunately, the results of the preliminary investigation confirm what we have observed and, in some cases, are still experiencing," stated groups representing sexual abuse victims in a response to the report, according to the BBC.

"For decades, the authorities of the Catholic Church in Switzerland have covered up these crimes, protecting the perpetrators and the reputation of their institution at the expense of the victims who were silenced."

On Tuesday, the president of the Swiss Bishops' Conference, the governing body of the Catholic Church in Switzerland, told a press conference that the organization's actions "fell short of what the victims are entitled to" and "gave countless excuses".

Sexual abuse and harassment cases have plagued the Catholic Church worldwide in recent decades, shattering the lives of numerous victims and their families, and damaging the institution's image.

National reports in recent years, such as in Germany and France, have spurred demands for victim restitution and penalties for those who concealed the abuse.