The unique structure of the Swiss Catholic Church -- no archdiocese, all six dioceses immediately subject to the Holy See,  diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Switzerland (current nuncio to Switzerland and Liectenstein being an American, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson), and the oldest national episcopal conference in the world, dating back to 1863 -- all suggest that popes could have been on top of the sex abuse crisis for decades!  But NO!  The church is still unsufferably slow in taking responsibility for abuse problems without pressure from legal systems.  Maybe this is a sign that a national church that reports directly to the Vatican through it bishops and dioceses is beginning to change for the better!