Catholic Bern sets an example in terms of integration policy.
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Voting Roman Catholic General parish of Bern and the surrounding area
Catholic Bern receives a new legal basis
A clear increase of 95 percent yes-votes for the new organizational regulations resulted in the popular vote in the Roman Catholic this Sunday. General parish of Bern and the surrounding area. This consent enables, among other things, Catholic communities in other languages to be treated as parishes as possible in the future.
With 4944 yes to 266 no, the voters of the Catholic parishes in the Bern region decided in favor of a new “constitution”. With 4,874 yes against 309 no and approval in all individual parishes, the transfer of employment contracts from the parishes to the overall parish was also approved. The turnout was 10.17 percent.
The organizational regulations form the legal basis for the entire parish as a public corporation recognized by the Canton of Bern. This amalgamation of the twelve Roman Catholic parishes in the city of Bern and the surrounding area regulates the structures and tasks of church life. The entire parish is responsible for the infrastructure of the Roman Catholic denomination in the Bern area. It finances the diverse parish life with all groups and communities, administers the church buildings and regulates employment.
The new organizational regulations come into force on January 1, 2022. In this way, communities with other languages are treated as parishes as possible, terms of employment are designed in a contemporary manner, the merger of parishes is facilitated, responsibilities are clarified and various provisions are updated. “We are very pleased with this result,” emphasized Karl-Martin Wyss, President of the Small Council of Churches, in an initial reaction: “The new regulations set an important example for integration.” For the first time, Catholic communities in other languages can now be treated in a similar way to parishes, including direct representation in the church parliament. This reflects Catholic Bern as a diverse church in a reformed environment.
A third of the members are foreign nationals and over half have a migration background. They pay church taxes and actively help shape church life. The planned legal recognition first affects the Italian and Spanish speaking Catholic missions that have been at home in Bern for decades.
Here you will find the official minutes of the ballot box from November 21, 2021 in the Roman Catholic. General parish of Bern and the surrounding area
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