© Emmanuele Contini / Global Look Press via ZUMA Press
The move was announced on Monday at the Swiss Bishops Conference (SBK), a meeting of the coordinating body of Roman Catholic dioceses, which was held at the Valère Basilica in the city of Sion in southern Switzerland.
"The responsible clergy believe that sex abuse victims in cases where the public statute of limitations has passed and where the Church has long turned a blind eye and provided no reparations, are in a particularly difficult situation," SBK said.
Thus, SBK created a fund worth 500,000 Swiss francs ($495,000, €462,000) that is to be paid out to sex abuse victims. An independent commission will decide on the size of individual compensations.
"A serious sin has been revealed during our time at the Church... This sin committed by some was made possible by certain structures and certain ways of behaving and thinking," Monseigneur Charles Morerod said.
"The sin has several levels: the abusive act, the complicit silence, and the lack of assistance to the victims," he added.
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