Sex abuse case referred to Vatican – victims

Godfrey Camilleri

Oct 30th 2010, 17:12

This seven year wait is really disgusting. Goes a long way to show how the Chairman of this team regarded the seriousness of these cases and the suffering of the victims involved!

H Galea

Oct 30th 2010, 13:17

Does the Vatican have space for another file, it does no make any differance, the action taken to place the abusers in another country, and the story repeats it's self, untill others have the courage to report the aligations!!! They defend each other to the extent to give you beatings for lies. Mothers of alter boys know where you son is spending his time, in 30 or 40 years time you will not be around to hear his story.I was never one of them, but still in my twenties ''HE'' tryed. perhaps one day it will be in the news.A new case.

Louise Vella

Oct 30th 2010, 11:28

Can the curia give us, without further delay, the names and whereabouts of other Maltese priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children? Church officials know where the abusive priests are living. Giving sex offenders privacy is dangerous. The public needs to know so that they can protect children. Many naïve Maltese Catholics still cannot imagine that priests can commit such disgusting acts and they blindly trust their children with evil priests.

William P Flynn

Oct 30th 2010, 10:24

The ecclesiastical “Response Team” and how long they dawdle (until the pope springs a visit during a world-wide child rapist priests scandal) is no concern of mine.

One might ponder whether the new procedures (see:http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_guide-CDF-procedures_en.html) apply to Malta. But whether or not it is acceptable for a secretive ecclesiastical “Response Team” to take 7 years to find that rape charges against orphans left in their care were “founded”’ is a matter for church members.

In the real secular world, the court system relies on the state prosecutors to decide whether charges are “founded” and whether evidence exists to support a court action.

Of course, there must be no suggestion that the civil court was waiting on the ecclesiastical “Response Team”.
Perhaps others might point to a pedophile case somewhere, which didn’t involve priests, where a civil case has taken this long to conclude.

In the real secular world the civil court isn’t concerned whether child rapist priests are defrocked or promoted to cardinals. A civil court trial is the highest and only competent method of proving an accused person’s guilt or innocence; and if found guilty priests go to jail and go on the register for paedophiles.