Church immoral offer: Priest to camouflage his girlfriend as a house clerk – Switzerland

Kilian and Natascha Karrer sit side by side at the Landhuus restaurant in Witterswil. He puts his arm around his shoulder and strokes his blouse. She shines and says, "It really honors me that he gave up everything for me." But his eyes fill with tears. Both found their personal happiness, but that's when the professional problems began.

Natasha Karrer received a registered letter. The church board has partially suspended him from his duties. She remains a sexton, but loses her homework. This means that she is only allowed to clean the church. The sacristan ministry was more than a job for them, she saw it as their vocation. She was very involved in the Catholic Church, some accused her of being too committed. Now she could lose everything. A month ago, a parish congregation was held in Witterswil, even demanding that the couple leave the community.

During his visit to Geneva, Pope Francis hailed ecumenism. But in Witterswil, a reformed person in the service of the Catholic Church is undesirable. As in many similar cases, the priest's partner suffers even more than in the Karrers. She said, "I felt guilty. I've been branded as evil, seductive. "

A Progressive Diocese?

The case shows that the diocese of Basel is not so different from the Diocese of Chur, as one might think.There Marcel Köhle, the priest of Brigels, announced his resignation last Sunday in the service.He also fell in love with a woman.In the conservative diocese of Chur, it will be particularly difficult for him to find a new job.On the other hand, the diocese of Basel tries to position itself progressively and claims to offer new solutions to those affected.

Natascha and Kilian Karrer say: "In our case, the Catholic Church has not tried to keep us." Received a lot Positive feedback but little concrete support

Whenever cases like those of Brigels and Mariastein become public, the debate on the abolition of celibacy begins again and is handled particularly intensively when senior dignitaries they lose their jobs out of love, as in the case of the resignation of the bishop of Basel, Hansjörg Vogel, in 1995. In the bishopric of Basel only, every two years, a priest gave up his duties because that he was no longer able to cope with celibacy. Staff problems are exacerbated by this. But changes occur even more slowly in the church than in politics.
Even if celibacy were to be abolished once, Karrer's point of view would not solve the problems. The religious authority, the high stylization of the priest, should also be completed, he demands.

Kilian Karrer wants to work as a reformed pastor in two years. In the autumn semester he begins his studies at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Basel. Currently, he continues to float with a part-time job as a production employee of a lamp company. He also registered with the regional employment agency.

Karrer considers bureaucracy as one of the biggest challenges of his new daily life. Until here, the monastery is busy with everything. Now he had to open a bank account first. However, he continues a tradition of his old life. He prays with his wife several times a day. Natasha and Kilian Karrer hope their new life will take a good turn.