Act and act fast

What happened last Tuesday on Bondi+? Was it the eruption of a volcano? Was it the opening of the floodgates? Was it a journalistic report on isolated incidents in just one place? We hope it was the latter, but only time will tell.

Many were shocked. This is to be expected. The stories narrated are shocking. As always happens, reactions to the TV programme were varied. We fully understand that valid arguments can be made for the position stating that the programme should not have been aired. We believe, though, that equally valid arguments can be made for the contrary position and that these, on balance, win the day. We think that the programme was painful but courageous.

Some, as customarily happens, will try to kill the messenger, hoping that the painful message will be forgotten. This is not a very wise attitude as painful and uncomfortable messages tend to surface when one expects them least.

Others will try to distract themselves and try to put everything behind them, saying that the programme is part of an anti-Church conspiracy. Some people have a knack of seeing conspiracies as such a belief helps them deny the existence of nasty happenings.

Conspiracy or no conspiracy is not the issue. The size of the problem is the question and not the intention of the producer of the programme. Besides, when one takes away the fantasy surrounding this conspiracy theory there is nothing left.

Others have put forward the hypothesis of a political conspiracy. The programme was aired to distract people's attention from the deficit, industrial problems, etc. There is no end to conspiracy theories.

Others will try to use the material to try to generalise the problem of sexual abuse of children, projecting it on all priests and religious. The presenter of the programme went out of his way to prevent this. He emphasised that this is not and cannot be true. His behaviour throughout the programme was commendable. But others will try to go up that route for their own reasons.

Others will try to tie this abuse to clerical celibacy. If priests get married they will not abuse children, these persons would say.

Both these allegations are nothing but myths. Facts and statistics in Malta and overseas show that child abuse exists in different strata of society. The same statistics prove that the most frequent abusers are fathers and step-fathers and the second largest group of abusers is made up of relatives and close friends. It is also statistically proved that only a tiny and insignificant percentage of the clergy are ever involved in such matters. In several countries it proves to be less than one half per cent.

Research has also shown that paedophilia and celibacy have no connection. Child abuse is mainly about the gestation of power and not about sex. Are the fathers and uncles who abuse their children or relatives not married persons? Since most abusers are parents or relatives, should one now blacken all parents and all relatives?

The guilt or otherwise of the persons allegedly abusing children (although very wisely they were not identified) will be established in another forum, not on television. Again, only time will tell. The presenter, once more, went out of his way to emphasise this point. It is to be expected that some will rush to conclusions. To prevent this as much as possible one hopes that the Church's Response Team will work overtime to come to the bottom of these reports. The police too should do the same.

We also hope that the testimony of those who were allegedly abused will help break once and for all the omertà and aura of shame that torments the victims. It is in the interest of those who were abused as well as in the interest of the Church and society at large that the truth - however painful - will surface. We have to face reality as it is - warts and all.

A parenthesis at this stage is in order. Fr Silvio, the director of St Joseph's Institute, was not afraid to face reality. His presence on Bondi+ was essential to show that even if all the accusations were true (something that has to be established) they are only true about the people who committed them and that this cannot be stretched to include all priests. Fr Silvio is honest, prudent, compassionate and courageous. People like him are the hope of his order and the Church. Thank you, Fr Silvio.

We refer to reality warts and all because we all know that there are incidents of child abuse committed by people - lay or clerical - working for the Church. In the past years the Response Team of the Church has found that such cases exist. Since they exist and since all persons of goodwill and the Church treat them as abominable, it is the duty of all to try to ferret out abusers and eliminate abuse.

This is a very difficult hour for the Church in Malta. It will only overcome the crisis if it reacts with maturity, dignity and wisdom.

The Church has to take a very pro-active role. It cannot just wait and react to events. It has to say loudy and clearly that it has a zero tolerance policy about child abuse. It has to encourage anyone who has anything to tell about the subject to come forward and say it.

One of the louder ways that the Church says something is through a pastoral letter. This shows much more determination and presence than comments in the media answering questions put by journalists. The faithful would be more comforted and calmed by a pastoral letter about this subject than about any other subjects.

Quite naturally, words have to be followed up by action. The Church has to establish whether the structures it built to combat abuse are working efficiently and effectively. It has to go out of its way to help anyone who in any way was abused by any of its workers - priests or lay persons. We cannot play a legalistic game reacting only when the law obliges us to do this or that.

Burying our heads in the sand - or almost - gets us nowhere. The Church has to act and act fast.