The Catholic Church in Switzerland has begun to apply psychological evaluations to candidates for the priesthood and future lay pastoral agents as part of a pilot project aimed at preventing sexual abuse in the ecclesiastical sphere.
A decision adopted by the Swiss bishops
The measure was announced this week in a joint statement from the Swiss Episcopal Conference, the Central Committee of the Roman Catholic Church of Switzerland, and the Conference of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. According to them, a total of 72 psychological evaluations were conducted in the various dioceses of the country last year.
The decision to introduce these evaluations was adopted by the bishops in March 2025, following the publication in 2023 of a study by the University of Zurich that documented cases of sexual abuse within the Swiss Catholic Church since the mid-20th century, including abuse of minors.
Application in all dioceses
The evaluations were carried out between April and December 2025 in all Swiss dioceses. They were applied to both candidates for the priesthood and lay pastoral agents, Church collaborators with theological training who perform pastoral tasks.
According to the statement, in some cases diocesan officials decided to end collaboration with certain individuals, considering that, according to the experts’ recommendations, their profile was not suitable.
A multi-phase process
The evaluation procedure consists of four phases. First, a psychological test; then, a competency-based interview; next, a clinical evaluation of a medico-legal nature; and finally, an interview with the diocesan officials, who make the final decision in light of the previous reports.
The first three phases are carried out by external experts.
Design of the tests and participation of specialists
According to EFE News, the evaluations have been designed by the Research and Development unit of the Judicial Execution and Reintegration Office of the canton of Zurich. The project has involved ten specialists in the fields of psychology, legal psychiatry, and human resources.
According to church officials, some candidates found the process demanding and tiring, while the majority valued it as important and relevant in the current context of the Church in Switzerland.