 Catholic Church in Switzerland | |
|---|---|
| German:Katholische Kirche in der Schweiz French:Église catholique en Suisse Italian:Chiesa cattolica in Svizzera Romansh:Baselgia catolica romana in Svizra | |
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| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | SBC |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Region | Switzerland |
| Language | German,French,Italian,Romansh,Latin |
| Headquarters | Fribourg, Switzerland |
| Separations | Swiss Reformed Church (16th Century) Old Catholics (19th Century) |
| Members | 2,700,000 (2023) |
| Official website | Swiss Bishop's Conference |
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TheCatholic Church in Switzerland (German:Römisch-katholische Landeskirche,French:Église catholique en Suisse,Italian:Chiesa cattolica in Svizzera,Romansh:Baselgia catolica da la Svizra) is organised into sixdioceses and twoterritorial abbeys, comprising approximately 2.7 million Catholics, about 30.7%[1] of the Swiss population in 2023.
The six dioceses are:[2]
The twoterritorial abbeys, which do not belong to any bishopric, are
In contrast to most Catholic dioceses, Swiss bishoprics areexempt, i.e. immediately subject to the jurisdiction of theHoly See, without anyMetropolitan see. The bishops and the two territorial abbots are organised within theSwiss Bishops Conference.
Currently, there are two living Cardinals from Switzerland,Kurt Koch andEmil Paul Tscherrig. The most recent cardinals areGilberto Agustoni, who died in 2017 andHenri Schwery, who died in 2021. Kurt Cardinal Koch participated in the2013 Papal conclave.
The status of Catholicism in Switzerland is complicated due to the existence ofLandeskirchen (Catholic cantonal churches), imposed by anti-clerical cantonal governments in the 19th century and organised along democratic lines, who control the application of funds collected throughchurch taxes.Pope Gregory XVI'sencyclical letter of 1835,Commissum divinitus, addressed this issue after the publication of the Swiss cantonalArticles of Baden of 1834 [de] in thecanton of Aargau. The letter challenged the Swiss attempt to "allow secular power [to] dominate the Church, control its doctrine, or interfere so that it cannot promulgatelaws concerning the holy ministry, divine worship, and the spiritual welfare of the faithful".[3]
Most cantonally delineated Catholic church bodies are members of the umbrellaRoman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ, official names in German:Römisch-Katholische Zentralkonferenz der Schweiz, French:Conférence centrale catholique romaine de Suisse, Italian:Conferenza centrale cattolica romana della Svizzera, Romansh:Conferenza centrala catolica romana da la Svizra).
In the last thirty years, mainly during the conflict over the appointment ofWolfgang Haas as Bishop of Chur, there have been discussions regarding a major reform of the structure of the Catholic Church in Switzerland, which would probably also lead to the establishment of a metropolitan see (probably inLucerne). However, discussions remain unresolved especially about the status of theCanton of Zürich as part of the Diocese of Chur, the large but splinted extent of the Diocese of Basel and the lack of a Metropolitan see stay unresolved.[citation needed]
| Dioceses |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Cathedrals | ||
| Territorial abbeys | ||
| Catholic lay organisations |
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