The legal situation in Liechtenstein does not allow personal files to be passed on to foreign third parties, the archdiocese announced on Friday.
The research team from the University of Zurich, which compiled the Swiss reappraisal study, had requested access to the files of priests who had belonged to the diocese of Chur before the archdiocese of Vaduz was established.
The archdiocese was formed in 1997 from the Liechtenstein parts of the Swiss diocese of Chur.
According to the information provided, the enquiry was legally examined as promised. The Liechtenstein data protection authority was also involved in the process.
"Making personnel files accessible to an institution from abroad constitutes a violation of both applicable data protection and personal rights," the statement reads.
The Archdiocese of Vaduz must therefore reject the request for access to the files in order not to violate the applicable legal framework.
Swiss researchers should refer those affected to Liechtenstein ombudsman's office
However, it is important to the archdiocese "to support the scientific investigation of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church and to promote prevention work".
To this end, Apostolic Administrator Benno Elbs set up an independent ombudsman's office in autumn 2023 to provide free and anonymous advice to those affected. The Zurich research team was asked to refer victims with a connection to Liechtenstein to the ombudsman's office.
"The focus is on protecting victims while maintaining a zero-tolerance strategy towards abusive behaviour," the archdiocese emphasised in its statement.
The issue of the Liechtenstein files was already addressed in the research group's report. According to the report, the files of the former deanery of Liechtenstein were handed over to the Liechtenstein National Archives.
The files of the diocese of Chur relating to the Principality of Liechtenstein were transferred from the Chur archives to Vaduz.
"This situation presents researchers with a special source problem: for a large part of the period under investigation (1950-1997), the territories of the Principality of Liechtenstein belonged to the Diocese of Chur.
However, the source situation was subsequently changed in such a way that research into sexual abuse in this region of the diocese is significantly more difficult and in some cases downright impossible," the report states.