Truth shall set us free

Gozo Bishop Mario Grech's statement on the abuses committed years ago in Lourdes Home in Gozo shows that the Church in our country has made a qualitative leap in the handling of these cases.

Mgr Grech took fast and public action on the case. He informed the public that the inquiry's conclusion was that abuses had taken place in Lourdes Home. And he took steps so that the Superior General of the Dominican Sisters who run the home implement the Commission's recommendations to ensure that such abuses never happen again.

There were several new elements in the way the case was handled.

The board of inquiry that was set up was completely independent of Church structures. There was not even one person from the Gozo diocese. The board included both men and women, lay persons and a priest, legal and psychological expertise.

Mgr Grech did two other things that we are not accustomed to in Malta.

He publicly asked for forgiveness. Technically speaking, he was not obliged to do so. He had nothing to do with the abuses and they did not happen during his time as bishop. But he showed himself to be a man of great courage and little compromise. As leader of the Church in Gozo he took upon himself the sins of the Church he ministers too and asked for forgiveness. He thus showed his great leadership qualities.

And he did not stop at asking for forgiveness.

He set up a team of qualified people who could help the victims. Quite naturally, he will be picking up the bill for the services rendered. Those who were deprived of their childhood because of the abuses committed against them have a right to all the help they need.

We should thank the victims who kept on insisting that the truth had to come out. The Church is harmed by those who abuse, not by those who reveal these abuses. Truth shall set us free.