Why are Swiss bishops doubling down on mandatory psych screening?

Mandatory psychological assessments of pastoral workers were first introduced last year.

Swiss bishops agreed at a plenary meeting this week that mandatory psychological assessments of future pastoral workers, introduced last year, should continue, following a positive assessment of their effectiveness.

Kristin Hardwick/wikimedia CC0 1.0.

In a statement issued at the end of their March 2-4 assembly in Saint-Maurice, the bishops said they had unanimously approved provisions regulating responsibilities for the assessments and how the results are handled.

“The assessments are a priority issue for Swiss bishops’ conference members, who want to secure their long-term financing,” the statement said.

Why were mandatory psychological assessments introduced? How are they conducted? And why are they controversial within the Swiss Church? Let’s take a look.

Why were assessments introduced?

In 2023, the Catholic Church in Switzerland was shaken by the emergence of misconduct allegations against four active and two retired members of the country’s bishops’ conference.

The allegations were made public on the eve of the publication of a landmark report on sexual abuse in the Swiss Church. The pilot study documented 1,002 cases of clerical abuse since 1950, creating further uproar in the nation of 9 million people, roughly a third of whom are baptized Catholics.

The bishops’ conference responded to the study in coordination with two other important Church institutions: the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland, a uniquely Swiss organization that coordinates the work of democratically organized regional bodies known as cantonal churches, and the Conference of Religious.

The three bodies jointly announced the introduction of psychological assessments for aspiring pastoral workers, among other measures intended to curb abuse.

Lay pastoral workers are a common feature of Swiss Catholic life, reflecting the country’s tradition of grassroots activism. Lay pastoral workers are usually theologically trained men and women who receive a canonical mission (missio canonica) from their bishop to work alongside priests in managing parishes and providing pastoral care.

Their salaries are paid by the Catholic community, typically from Church taxes collected in most Swiss cantons. The network of full-time, salaried lay pastoral workers is more institutionalized in Switzerland than in most parts of the English-speaking world.

The Swiss bishops announced in March 2025 that a psychological assessment would be mandatory for future lay pastoral workers, as well as clergy. A decree instituting the assessments went into effect on March 31, 2025.

Psychological screening is common for candidates for the priesthood in many parts of the Catholic world, but less so for lay pastoral workers, who often face other kinds of background checks.

The use of psychology in the selection and formation of future priests was addressed in a 2008 document by the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education.

It said: “Inasmuch as it is the fruit of a particular gift of God, the vocation to the priesthood and its discernment lie outside the strict competence of psychology. Nevertheless, in some cases, recourse to experts in the psychological sciences can be useful.”

The Swiss assessments were designed by a team led by Jérôme Endrass, an expert in forensic psychology — the psychological study of criminal behavior.

During a pilot phase that began in April 2025, aspiring lay pastoral workers and priests who were completing a practical pastoral year of training after their academic studies were tested, alongside those about to enter pastoral service.

A total of 72 psychological assessments were carried out. Sixty were in German and six each in French and Italian, reflecting Switzerland’s multi-lingual character.

The Church, which has not said how many candidates failed the test, conducted the assessments with the help of 10 experts in forensic psychology and personnel selection. The pilot phase concluded at the end of 2025.

Following the bishops’ positive assessment of the initial phase, the tests will be expanded. The aim is that aspiring pastoral workers will undergo the assessment as early as possible in their training. They must take the test before they enter the practical training stage following their academic studies or before taking up their first formal appointment in the Church.

How are tests conducted?

The bishops’ 2025 decree explained that the psychological assessment has four parts and is intended to determine whether candidates have the “basic competencies” necessary to acquire pastoral skills. The tests also seek to identify potential risks to third parties.

The first part consists of psychological tests that explore whether the candidate possesses the “basic competencies” required for pastoral work. The tests might look for evidence of qualities such as self-reflection, empathy, emotional self-regulation, the ability to establish healthy relationships, and analytical thinking.

The second stage involves a one-on-one interview with specialized assessors, who further probe whether the candidate displays the “basic competencies.”

In the third part, candidates undergo an interview with an external specialist, who seeks to identify possible red flags. Typically, such interviews include searching questions about family history, sexuality, past relationships, and mental health.

The fourth and last stage involves an interview with a diocesan formation leader or the bishop’s delegate, who offers a final assessment of the candidates’ suitability for a pastoral role. The bishop then chooses whether to approve the candidate.

While the Swiss bishops are responsible for the training and commissioning of pastoral workers, they are employed by parishes. The bishops have undertaken to provide parishes with proof that a candidate has passed the assessment.

Why are they controversial?

The mandatory psychological assessments have faced criticism on several grounds.

One of the most common complaints is that the process is intrusive, probing areas of a candidate’s life they might consider deeply personal and private. The counter-argument is that rigorous risk assessments depend upon such thorough questioning.

Another worry is how candidates’ personal data is handled. Responding to this concern, the Swiss bishops have explained that the bishops’ conference general secretariat keeps a nationwide register of all individuals who have undergone the assessment. Register entries consist only of the person’s name, location, the date of the assessment, and the body that commissioned the test.

A bishops’ conference spokesman has said that a potential new employer needing more information about a pastoral worker could apply to the diocese where they completed their training or previously worked.

A further criticism is that the process relies too heavily on secular notions of job suitability, at the cost of spiritual discernment. Forensic psychologist Jérôme Endrass has noted that candidates can fail the tests for a variety of reasons, not limited to the risk of abuse. Suspect personality traits include difficulty in working with others, narcissism, distrustfulness, impulsive reactions, and extreme rigidity in views. These tendencies are seen as incompatible with pastoral responsibility for others, including vulnerable people.

Critics might argue that these criteria could exclude candidates who lack social skills, but can overcome their initial limitations and excel in pastoral service.

Conservative Catholics are likely to ask what constitutes extreme rigidity. Is the term so broad that it includes a firm adherence to Catholic doctrine?

Some have also questioned whether there is any recourse for rejected candidates who believe they should have passed the test. Others have argued that the assessments are too expensive, citing reports that they cost 5,000 Swiss francs (around $6,400) each.

Finally, there is the question of whether the tests can screen out all abusers. Could a candidate fake the empathetic qualities prized by evaluators?

Endrass has said frankly: “Yes, that’s possible if someone has a high level of criminal intent.” But in his 20 years of scrutinizing offenders, he has “never seen a single pedophile who specifically studied theology to gain access to potential victims.”

The Swiss bishops clearly find the criticisms of the assessment unconvincing. They made clear this week that the tests are here to stay. They will be adequately funded. And, in their view, it will help to make the Church a safer environment in years to come.