Swiss bishops admit downplaying child abuse, ask victims to report to police...

Switzerland’s Catholic bishops have admitted they “underestimated” the scale of sexual abuse within churches and have called on victims to report crimes to the police.

The Roman Catholic Church is facing one of its gravest crises in decades as a sexual abuse scandal sweeps Europe. In Switzerland, church leaders say about 60 people have reported to be victims of abuse by priests.

"We have humbly underestimated the scale of the situation. The heads of dioceses and religious orders made mistakes – we ask forgiveness for these,” the Swiss Bishops Conference declared in an official statement on Wednesday. More...

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