Vicar General of the Diocese of Basel criticizes media reports
In an open letter, Roland Trauffer, Vicar General of the Diocese of Basel, criticized media reports about alleged sexual abuse by Catholic priests. «The judges are sitting in the newsrooms,» he writes.
In an open letter, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Basel, Roland Trauffer, has criticized media reports about alleged sexual abuse by Catholic priests. "The judges are sitting in the editorial offices," he writes. In the case of the Catholic Church, the "presumption of guilt until proven innocent" has applied for some time due to "high-circulation thought patterns". Trauffer states this in an open letter that he published on Wednesday. What is new is the "degree of shamelessness" with which "certain media seek the applause of their readership".
Any form of sexual abuse is of course inexcusable and should be punished by law. However, condemning a possibly innocent person without clear evidence is just as inexcusable. Trauffer is currently representing Bishop Kurt Koch of Basel, who took a three-week sabbatical on the advice of doctors.
According to the vicar general, "all Catholic priests are regarded as potential child abusers" in the reports of individual media outlets. Thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to pastoral care are being reduced to "ticking child terror time bombs". We need to talk about the place "where paedophilia is really a big problem, namely in the world outside the priests' rooms", said Trauffer.
In addition to various media reports, the open letter also criticizes the "Wort zum Sonntag" on Swiss television on 2 February.
Any form of sexual abuse is of course inexcusable and should be punished by law. However, condemning a possibly innocent person without clear evidence is just as inexcusable. Trauffer is currently representing Bishop Kurt Koch of Basel, who took a three-week sabbatical on the advice of doctors.
According to the vicar general, "all Catholic priests are regarded as potential child abusers" in the reports of individual media outlets. Thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to pastoral care are being reduced to "ticking child terror time bombs". We need to talk about the place "where paedophilia is really a big problem, namely in the world outside the priests' rooms", said Trauffer.
In addition to various media reports, the open letter also criticizes the "Wort zum Sonntag" on Swiss television on 2 February.
