While the video prompted a formal reprimand from Bonnemain to the involved pastors in Jan 2023, the incident reflected the tension within his diocese.
The August 2022 incident involved popular parish leader Monika Schmid, who left her position amid this brewing conflict, highlighting the strain on pastoral workers in the region. 2022---Another-departure-because-of-Bishop-Bonnemain
This report examines the 2022 context of departures and controversies surrounding Bishop Joseph Maria Bonnemain of the Diocese of Chur, Switzerland, a deeply polarized region within the Swiss Catholic Church. Following his appointment by Pope Francis in 2021—intended to bring stability to a conservative-leaning diocese—Bishop Bonnemain’s initiatives in 2022 generated significant backlash, contributing to a "record number" of faithful departing the Church. 1. The Core of the 2022 Conflict: A New Code of Conduct While the video prompted a formal reprimand from
The central driver of conflict in 2022 was a new code of conduct regarding the prevention of sexual and spiritual abuse, which Bonnemain made binding for all diocesan employees by mid-2022. Following his appointment by Pope Francis in 2021—intended
Critics charged that the code, which called for respecting the "coming-out" of homosexuals and restricting "sweeping negative assessments" based on sexual orientation, was an attempt to introduce progressive, "LGBT ideology".
In November 2022, Bonnemain announced he would not replace the diocese's exorcist, stating that cases usually require psychological help rather than spiritual exorcism, a move hailed by some as progressive but criticized by traditionalists. 3. Contextualizing "Another Departure" (2022-2023)