Ministers of religion, including priests and Religious brothers, are now required to serve in the Swiss military, with the Swiss army stating that their work was no longer an “essential activity for the maintenance of social life”.
Churches were reportedly not informed during the drafting of the law, with the Bishops’ Conference of Switzerland objecting to the lack of consultation.
Though Switzerland has maintained a policy of neutrality since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the move will disrupt religious communities that accept men who have not completed the service.
