Child abuse

Mr Charles Buttigieg (The Sunday Times, January 5) quotes the Archbishop as stating that "the right of information... has to be respected" and "justice must be done and appear to be done with everybody".

I applaud these sentiments but cannot reconcile them with the current policy of the Maltese Church when dealing with allegations of child abuse. The investigations are held in secret, and the Church authorities do not pass on such allegations to the civil authorities. even when the Church itself has concluded that the allegations have been proven.

Nobody knows where the priests are now working and to deny information to the public is to put it at risk. To protect these priests from the due process of the law is to deny justice.

The Archbishop protests in vain that people are criticising the Church because of "the mistakes of one or a few persons". What is being criticised is not the human failings of individual priests but the attitude of the Church authorities in choosing to put its interests before the rule of law and the interests of children.

Are we so naive as to assume that what has happened in other countries like the United States cannot possibly be happening in Malta?