The Swiss newspaper Le Temps discovered cases of sexual, physical and psychological violence within the ultraconservative Pius Catholic Brotherhood in several countries. The French-language newspaper wrote on Saturday that the Saint Pius Priestly Society, a self-help group for abuse victims, reported about 60 “problematic priests.”
The Society of Saint Pius X is an association of priests founded in 1970 in protest against the reforms of the Second Vatican Council by the controversial French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was founded in Switzerland. The Pius Brotherhood, which describes itself as the “guardian of unadulterated Catholic doctrine, is, according to its own statements, in more than… 60 countries active. Its more than 590 priests work in seminaries and brotherhood schools, among other places.
➤ See more information: Possible abuse at youth seminary: Vatican investigating reports
There are also dioceses in Austria. In Vienna (for example, the Vienna Minorite Church belongs to the Pius Brothers), Graz, Innsbruck, Jaidhof, Klagenfurt, Linz, Piesendorf, Salzburg and Steyr.
➤ See more information: The Vienna Minorite Church now belongs to the Pius Brotherhood
According to its own information, the newspaper Le Temps spent several months researching allegations of abuse against the Pius Brotherhood in Switzerland, Belgium and France and collected numerous testimonies from witnesses. Reporters spoke with parents, alumni and support groups.
Accusations until 2020
The 41 year old man Francois de Riedmatten from Switzerland described to the newspaper the attacks he suffered as a child at a boarding school in France. The perpetrator was a caregiver who took pleasure in the suffering of others and often abused them after bathing. “He hit me and kissed me right after,” said the interested party.
The research is also based on legal proceedings against convicted perpetrators and more than 20 internal documents of the Pio Brotherhood, including letters and excerpts from internal investigations. According to Le Temps, the allegations concern the period from the founding of the Pius Brotherhood to 2020 and also to countries outside Europe.
➤ See more information: Holocaust deniers excluded from the Brotherhood of Pius