Within a few weeks, another case of abuse of minors by a canon of the Catholic Great St. Bernhard was uncovered. Another canon was reported back in February.
The incidents in this second case took place in the early 1980s at the Collège de Champittet in Lausanne, which was then governed by the Congregation of Canons of the Great St. Bernard.
A 12-year-old boarding school student was said to have been sexually touched by a canon who taught at the college and worked at the boarding school. This was announced by the congregation on Wednesday. The victim had recently informed the Bishop of Sitten VS about it.
“Stunned by these revelations”
In response, the accused was immediately suspended from all activity and the case was reported to the relevant civil authorities, the Congregation further said.
“We are stunned by this revelation and we humbly want to acknowledge the victim’s courage in such extreme circumstances. We hope that the investigative work will clarify the matter and, in particular, ensure that there are no other victims,” Provost Jean-Michel Girard is quoted as saying in the communiqué.
The accused priest admitted the crimes. He is now retired and holds no positions within the Church. According to the congregation, a church criminal case is also underway.
Actions are already time-barred
This is the second case of sexual abuse of minors in the Great St. Bernard Congregation that has been uncovered within a few weeks. At the beginning of April it became known that Provost Girard had reported a canon for the sexual abuse of a minor. The alleged acts date back more than thirty years and are time-barred.
The provost also reported the case in Rome. Even if the alleged acts were more than thirty years ago, a decision was made that could have consequences for the canon. For example, the Catholic churchman could be stripped of his status as a clergyman.
In the communiqué, the Congregation of Great St. Bernard and the Diocese of Sitten call on victims of abuse by religious to “make their voices heard in all transparency and truth”.
There is a neutral commission that is independent of the church organs. The CECAR foundation (Commission Ecoute-Conciliation-Arbitrage-Réparation) was set up to listen to and accompany victims.
(SDA)