Diocese of Sion: Results of the external audit on sexual abuse

The diocese of Sion wants to put an action plan in 5 points: a better reception of victims, better collaboration with victims’ associations and with the ASCE (which brings together contact persons to whom one can contact to report sexual abuse in an ecclesial context), concrete measures to understand the past and a strengthening of diocesan governance.

10:43 a.m.

The diocese of Sion takes into account the many dysfunctional elements, particularly in the reception of victims. He deplores, through the voice of Canon Pierre-Yves Maillard, that the attitude of denial hurt the victims, “who decided to come out of the shadows”.

The criticisms, which were made in the fall of 2023, were confirmed by the audit presented today, specifies Canon Pierre-Yves Maillard.

Canon Pierre-Yves Maillard indicates that the results of the external audit will be published on the internet this afternoon.

10:25 a.m.

The press conference has resumed. The bishop of the dicoese of Sion Mgr Jean-Marie Lovey questions the power in the Church. “The audit comes in the wake of other approaches which make it possible to understand what enabled the abuses, by covering up the perpetrators. If the purpose of the audit was not to denounce abuses of power, we must rely on it” to change.

“The findings of the audit keep us in a position of humility, a saving humility which saves us, because we are not doing everything right. We minimized the suffering of the victims,” recognizes the bishop of the dicoese of Sion Mgr Jean-Marie Lovey.

10:19 a.m.

The press conference faces a technical problem. We will give you more details as soon as the live broadcast resumes.

10:15 a.m.

The audit noted that the expectations of the victims concerned require sympathetic listening, recognition of suffering, psychological support, administrative assistance, historical information (have these situations already occurred?) and protective measures.

But they perceived the reception as intimidating; some people would have been discouraged from filing a complaint before. This observation is “overwhelming” for Vicario consulting.

The victims’ file is critical, but the important thing is to bring more “humanity and more communication in the follow-up of the files”

“Collecting the words of victims is always grueling work, but very rewarding. Most of the stories are coherent and easy to process. Others are more confused, more emotional and require more attention,” explains the Vicario consulting representative.

10:06 a.m.

The audit was entrusted to the Vicario consulting firm, which presented its results this Tuesday. Members of the bishopric, victims’ associations, researchers and people affected by the abuse were interviewed. To protect the victims, they anonymized the sources.

This file was compiled over eight months, 29 people were interviewed and 15 physical files archived in secret archives were consulted.

09:51

As part of the affair of sexual abuse committed within the Catholic Church, the diocese of Sion commissioned an independent audit. The results of this will be delivered at a press conference this Tuesday at 10 a.m.