(OSV News) ─ Catholic Church leaders in Switzerland have protested the "arbitrary" abolition of traditional military service exemptions for clergy, in a move which could encourage similar changes in other European countries.
All Christians are deeply concerned ─ they don't agree with what's been done and will certainly support our position," said Arianna Estoreli, communications officer for the Swiss bishops' conference.
"No one questions the right of state officials to make decisions. But this isn't the way to change important rules affecting the churches," she said.
The lay Catholic was reacting to a new Military Law amendment by Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, or collective presidency, requiring for the first time priests and monks to undergo military service.
In an OSV News interview, Estoreli said none of Switzerland's Christian denominations had been invited to comment during the legislative process or even informed about the revision.
"We don't know how those who've introduced this change view Christian churches, or how far they've just acted from personal preferences," Estoreli said.
"But to claim this is correcting a historic anomaly simply isn't true," she said. "During national emergencies and conflicts, churches routinely provide support and accompaniment, as they've always done."
The Catholic Church's six dioceses in Switzerland include German, French and Italian speakers, and make up 30% of Switzerland's population of 9 million, according to September 2025 data. Evangelical Reformed church members comprise a further 20%, although both the Catholic and Evangelical Reformed churches have reported declining membership and participation.
In a March 2025 statement, the Federal Council said the Military Law's article 18, exempting clergy from service, was a "product of historical evolution," and was now being scrapped because it was "obsolete" and no longer reflected "contemporary realities."
It added that Christian clergy could not be placed on a level with other professional groups working in national security, transportation and health care that the government deems essential to the nation's core functions.
"The aim of exempting clergy was to ensure local spiritual care for the civilian population in extraordinary circumstances," the Council said. "However, in light of societal changes over recent decades ─ including a significant number of people leaving the church ─ the demand for pastoral care has shifted so much that these individuals can no longer be considered indispensable."
This perspective was disputed by a joint July 8 letter to Swiss President Guy Parmelin by Catholic, evangelical, Free Church and Old Catholic leaders, who said the article's deletion had not been debated or even mentioned in parliament.
Switzerland's RTS broadcaster said the letter, currently unpublished, had expressed "particular outrage" at "factually incomprehensible" government claims that spiritual and pastoral support was no longer necessary.
The head of the country's Catholic military chaplaincy, Auxiliary Bishop Alain de Raemy of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, a former Vatican Swiss Guard chaplain, told RTS July 9 the government decision reflected a "lack of respect for the population" and made it uncertain what would happen "in times of war and crisis."
Meanwhile, the president of Switzerland's Free Churches association, Peter Schneeberger, said the loss of Christianity's "social significance" had given the reform a "political justification," but added that failure to consult those affected risked weakening "the quality and acceptance of laws."
He said one newly ordained pastor with two young children had recently been ordered back to his former unit to complete military service.
"The state is sending a signal by tacitly abandoning the conviction that pastoral care is a public resource ─ this is a form of state self-secularisation," Schneeberger said in an article.
"Good laws are not created solely through majorities, but by listening to those directly affected," he added.
Military service, mostly for male citizens, is obligatory in at least 10 European countries, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece and Sweden, and is being reintroduced by others, alongside defence budget increases, in response to Russian aggression.
Most countries traditionally allow ordained clergy to avoid or defer conscription, or to sign up as military chaplains or civil volunteers.
Officially neutral since the early 19th century, Switzerland operates a state militia rather than standing army, and requires all male citizens aged 18-30 to undergo military training, with those found unfit paying an exemption tax.
The Swiss model was supported in a 2013 referendum and defended in June by a European Court of Human Rights ruling.
A spokesman for the Vatican's apostolic nunciature in Berne told OSV News clergy exemptions were not covered by Holy See treaties or agreements.
Meanwhile, Estoreli said churches would decide further steps after receiving clarification from Parmelin, adding that she regretted the amendment had not been submitted to one of the country's frequent referendums.
"The direct form of democracy which operates here in Switzerland is something very particular, and differs markedly from procedures followed in other countries," the bishops' conference communications officer told OSV News.
"Although the president has no power to overrule a Federal Council decision, we've expressed the deep concern shared by all churches," she said.
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Jonathan Luxmoore writes for OSV News from Oxford, England.
