ZüRICH (SWITZERLAND)
Le News [Lausanne, Switzerland]
January 10, 2025
By Le News
A study by the University of Zurich in 2023 into sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland provided clear estimates of the scale of crimes committed within the institution, prompting church leaders to act. This week, SRF reported on measures the church plans to introduce to combat these crimes. One is psychological testing aimed at identifying potential perpetrators of abuse before they are recruited.
The tests aim to identify problematic personalities at an early stage of the recruitment process. Preparations began in June, and the psychologist who helped develop the system shared his insights with SRF.
In addition to verifiying whether an individual has the necessary personal and intellectual aptitude, the tests aim to identify behavioural risk factors. People who are very bossy or dominant, easily offended and who don’t tolerate differences or opinion can be problematic. An individual’s sexual development and the way they establish intimate relationships are areas that can reveal their suitability too.
These assessments would be done by an expert outside of the normal recruitment process. However, the new system will not be perfect. Mistakes will continue to be made, according to an expert.
The church told SRF in a statement that it plans to provide information about the new recruitment system in mid-January.
In addition to this initiative and the ongoing abuse study conducted by the University of Zurich, the church has said it will create an independent point of contact for reporting abuse, professionalise recruitment and create an ecclesiastical criminal and disciplinary court.