The future criminal court of the Swiss Catholic Church will be set up next year to try cases of sexual abuse.

The Bishop of Basel, Felix Gmür, announced this on Friday, responding in particular to the Lucerne Synod, which is blocking part of its financial contributions.

When cases of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church result in a judgment by a Swiss criminal court, the ecclesiastical tribunal must take over, explained Bishop Gmür, President of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, to the media. This tribunal must be made up of specialists who are familiar with ecclesiastical law, without necessarily being Catholics.

Expanding the pool of judges

Until now, criminal cases within the Swiss Catholic Church have been dealt with solely by a court attached to one or other bishopric. The creation of a court bringing together all the country’s dioceses means that a larger pool of specialists, such as judges, will…