Clergy abuse victims look forward to closure - want priests behind bars
Video: Paul Spiteri Lucas
Five men who have for years alleged sexual abuse by members of the clergy at St Joseph Home, complained today that it had taken the local Church too long - seven years - to establish that there was enough evidence to refer the case to the Vatican.
“When I was young I had opened up my heart but nobody believed me," one of the victims, Lawrence Grech, said.
“The Maltese should remove their blinkers when children speak out and take action. Had they done this, none of this would have happened.”
Lou Bondi, spokesman for the group, told the media that the fact that the case had been before the Church authorities for seven years was 'a scandal'.
He said that the fact that the Church Response Team found that the victims’ allegations were founded did not make the priests guilty. It meant that there was enough evidence to take the case to the Canonical Tribunal.
The response team, he said, took seven years to say that there was enough evidence for the case to start.
This was a scandal and it was unacceptable for the victims.
The process was quickened in past months after Mgr Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s chief prosecutor of sex abuse cases involving priests, met the victims. Their experience with him was positive but they could not say the same for their experience with the response team, Mr Bondi said.
The victims had an emotional meeting with Pope Benedict in Malta last April and had described the encounter as a 'healing experience'.
Mr Bondi' said the Vatican's canonical tribunal may opt to hear the case in Malta instead of Rome but the issue has yet to be decided.
The Church said yesterday that it had found sufficient evidence for the case to be sent to the Vatican for adjudication.
Five of the victims, two of whom appeared in public for the first time this morning, said that they had been informed through letters from the church that the case could proceed.
The victims speaking out this morning were Philip Cauchi, 40, Joseph Magro, 38, Lawrence Grech, 38, Oliver Goodram, 39 and Joseph Mangion, 37.
They have insisted for years that they were abused when they were resident at St Joseph Home for Boys in Sta Venera some 20 years ago,
In the letters, signed by the superior general of the MSSP, Fr Louis Mallia, the victims were told that the response team had investigated their allegations regarding Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Conrad Sciberras and Br Joe Bonett and it resulted that these allegations were founded.
“Therefore I inform you that the case will be passed on to Rome.”
The victims were told that when the allegations surfaced seven years ago, the MSSP had taken precautions for the two priests and the brother not remain in active ministry, particularly with children.
“This decision will remain in place until the case is concluded,” they have been told.
Another priest against whom allegations were made, Fr Godwin Scerri, was not named in the letters received by the victims who addressed this morning’s conference. He may have been named in letters received by other victims, who together number 17.
The only victim in today’s conference claiming to have been abused by Fr Scerri was Mr Goodram.
Mr Bondi said the victims had found support from Archbishop Paul Cremona and their criticism was directed at the Response Team and not him.
He said that the Canonical Tribunal could decide to defrock the priests. The process was not expected to take long.
In the meantime, Mr Bondi said, the victims were also waiting for the local courts to conclude its case.
A criminal case against three priests is being heard behind closed doors and has been going on for seven years.
Mr Grech said this morning that he wanted to see the perpetrators behind bars.
“When I was young I had opened up my heart but nobody believed me.
“The Maltese should remove their blinkers when children speak out and take action. Had they done this, none of this would have happened.”
Mr Mangion said it was important to see justice being done and not to have these things happen again.
Mr Magro said he finally felt free.
The victims are being represented by lawyer Patrick Valentino.
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Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 20:19
Browsing through the latest comments and my replies to the vicious attacks against the Catholic Church in Malta it is evident that I have been continually protesting that I had not written the obscenities that were being falsely attributed to me by the same few denigrators of the official religion of the republic. To me that is highly significant. The unvarnished truth has no place in their repertoire. Only despicable and unsuccesful attempts at defamation and character assassination.
Alex Ciantar
Nov 2nd 2010, 16:15
A does of your own medicine I might say Dr Francis Saliba!!! It is quick of you to point out and complain about what was written with what you disagree on whilst you fail to see your own snide and sarcasm in most of your comments that you post.
Your are quick to defend the catholic religion (and rightly so if you feel the need to do so) but you degrade and look down on others that do not share the same beliefs.
How do you expect to be shown respect when you do not reciprocate? Its matter of fighting fire with fire, one tends to go on the defence and attacks back if one is provoked...in many cases it is what you also did!!
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 2nd 2010, 17:54
@AlexCiantar. I am not so foolish as to EXPECT to be shown respect by those who are incapable of showing respect for the official religion of the republic and for Christianity. I do NOT COMPLAIN when people disagree with me. But when they accuse me of saying things that I never said or implied then I take the bull by the horns and expose their blatant lies. By so doing I do not "degrade" them, they "degrade" themselves. Of course they hate it when I expose their tricks and they give vent to their anger and their frustration. I am NOT "receiving a dose of my own medicine" as long as my critics prove themselves incapable of submitting logical arguments and when they have to resort to obvious half truths, blatant lies, false inferences and false attributions. I will be receiving a dose of my own medicine only when they change tactics and when they start submitting logical arguments not uncontrolled invective. That will be the day! Until then I am very satisfied to watch with amusement their exhibitions of impotent rage and frustration. I am NOT complaining at all!
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 5th 2010, 20:36
And no reply to my comment below? You do not even know the intricacies of your own religion.
Guze Xerri
Nov 1st 2010, 20:13
Here is the latest report (Nov.1st 2010) on the systemic Roman church international paedophilia news from New Brunswick with 45 persons victimized by papist priests. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/11/01/nb-bastarache-catholic-church-sex-assault-conciliation-report-540.html Paying out large financial settlements to its victims is the going thing with the roman church And the very recent judgement in Quebec in favour of an other paedophile victim at the hands of a romanist priest http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/10/29/court-priest-sex.html Make this institution pay and pay for its crimes of its priests here and everywhere This present Pope Benedict XVI has not only covered up the crimes of his world wide paedophile priests but he and his former office is up to it’s neck in these and other very serious crimes. Apologists for these vile crimes be damned, you have not a leg to stand on.
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 17:46
@AlexCiantar. I am not angry – that is a futile and dangerous emotion that disturbs one’s rationality and predisposes to errors. I have been pointing out to you one such false attribution after another. Here are some additional examples from your last comment. I have not defended priests who raped. That is a lie. Similarly I have not accused you of raping anybody – so why introduce that insinuation? I have never questioned the criminality of rape when committed by anybody, particularly by priests. I actually recommended that families afflicted by priestly sex abuse in private must themselves lodge a prompt report with the police otherwise the police would not be able to prosecute. Why twist that clear statement into the lie that I am against priests being brought to justice? I never mentioned the stupidity that one has to be a Catholic to believe in God. So why do you insinuate that I did so and that I am unable to differentiate between Catholicism and Christianity? May I suggest that you spend more time on understanding my comments before rushing to accuse me of saying things that I did not say?
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 17:15
@PhilipSultana. " ... any church members guilty of hiding the facts, or failing to report paedofilia to the police should face civil justice as well. There should be no distiction between church members and the general public". (Philip Sultana). You are suggesting that distressed close relatives of paedophile victims should be prosecuted if they failed to report one of them for abusing a young girl in the family? Do you think before you start typing?
Kate Micallef
Nov 1st 2010, 16:43
My greatest sympathy goes to those people who were abused by any member of the clergy. Those “priest” who have made such an act must be punished firstly by the church and also by the court only in this way the abusers can eventually receive justice. One must also consider that if a member of the church has committed a grave crime we cannot put all members of the church in one basket, as I am sure that there are plenty of priests that are good and so deserve to be members of the church. Putting the alleged priests behind bars will not solve anything as their crime being pedophilia is considered to be a mental illness and so they must also be given the help they need to overcome this sickness. If you consider drug addiction putting the person behind bars because of substance abuse will not solve the problem but also crave more for drugs. I personally believe that these individuals who have committed such acts must be sentenced to prison like all offenders but in the same time receive the help needed to overcome this sickness and so such act will not be repeated.
Philip Sultana
Nov 1st 2010, 11:57
And another point, in my view, any church members guilty of hiding the facts, or failing to report paedofilia to the police should face civil justice as well. There should be no distiction between church members and the general public. If anything, church members should have shown more civic responsibility because they are in a position of trust.
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 11:48
@AlexCiantar (1) (2) and (3).
Where on earth did you dig up that exclusive definition of hypocrisy? It is not a definition at all; it is your personal concoction and a catalogue of your anticlerical abuse.
" .. being reassured that one is forgiven during confession and prayer .... " is not a genuine version of Catholicism where forgiveness is inextricably bound with genuine contrition, not your "doing as one pleases".
Alex Ciantar
Nov 1st 2010, 16:43
I ask you one question now Dr Francis Saliba ....why don't you direct your anger at those priests that raped young boys instead of defending them and the church that is dragging its feet rather then having a go at me!!! At least I have never raped anyone and that is why I wrote and still is writing in this blogs because I am disgusted at these crimes committed by these priests and the Catholic Church for covering up and also at people like you who keep beating about the bush with technicalities and what is ultimately right or wrong............. Priest that rape young boys is wrong by any religion or law and they should be brought to justice there is no other excuse why they should not be brought to justice like any other citizen...period!!
Alex Ciantar
Nov 1st 2010, 16:45
@ Dr Francis Saliba oh and by the way.....and believing in God and being a catholic are two different things .........one has no need to be a catholic to be a good and true Christian....
Philip Sultana
Nov 1st 2010, 11:45
Many here expect to see action taken by the church, but what about the civil authorities? Why has no action been taken by the police? It is the police who are duty bound to investigate the allegations and prosecute the perpetrators. Why do we have no explanations from the government?
Victor Vella
Nov 1st 2010, 10:21
I got my secondary education at he MSSP college. I know the three persons alleged in the scam. I never saw any wrong doing when I was at the college neither from the persons concerned nor from any other priests. I can only say that we were given care, attention and love from both brothers and fathers. The society is made of human beings and from human beings one can expect everything. While I pray for the persons concerned, both priests and victims, one has to see the whole picture of the society of St. Paul. MSSP has done and still doing a lot of care and love to humanity. In these difficult times everybody has to pray God for the society especially for the persons and victims concerned . The victims for sure know the good things and sacrifices that the other priests had done to their wellbeing . This is the vision that the founder Mons. De Piro has dreamt of the boat caught in a tempest. From this tempest the society will come out stronger than it was before.
ray sacco
Nov 1st 2010, 11:05
@victor vella:
just because you were not abused, it does not mean others were not mr. vella. if, as you say, the MSSP society did a lot of good, than it is more than essential that justice is done without any more dragging and hiding. this is imperative for the good of the same society. so that the good it has done would not be obscured by the bad done by the few! common sense!
Joseph A Borg
Nov 1st 2010, 12:58
I was a student of Fr Sciberras for 5 years. My personal experience was very positive though admittedly circumscribed to a school environment and still consider him to be a friend even if found guilty of any misdemeanours.
I hope the official enquiry will bring closure to the abuse victims and the alleged perpetrators. Maybe for the next couple of decades institutions and the public will learn the lesson and to threat the vulnerable with respect and decency.
Gage Hughes
Nov 1st 2010, 09:06
All abuse victims want closure, however it is not simply a matter of putting people behind bars, it is also about having the church acknowledging what was done to young childen. As a child i was sexually and physically abused in a Catholic school in malta. I have yet to receive any acknowledgement of the abuse. Indeed I am not believed. I am now an old man and I dare say I probably will never recieve an apology from the Church. I left the RC Church in disgust nearly 30 years ago and refused to bring up my children in the church. Gage
Muscat Pat
Nov 1st 2010, 08:34
We are all fervent Catholics; we all have double standards to live up to!
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 11:52
@Muscat Pat.
Speaking of yourself only - not for all practicing Catholics.
Trevor Zahra
Nov 1st 2010, 13:39
Speak for yourself Pat....The abuse by certain members of the clergy and how they are being allowed to get away with it makes me Sick. I wonder what you would write if your child was raped by a priest???. The fact that the very laws of Malta are set in a way to protect the members of the clergy from prosecution in a court of law is disgusting and totally unacceptable. When the church agrees to allow its clergy to be charged in court like normal civilian people and when the church in Malta treats the general public in the same way as the clergy I will reconsider practising again. My message to the church is - Cut the BS and the people are fed up of listening to a do as I say not as i do preaching.
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 17:05
@TrevorZahra Remove your blinkers and realize that it is simply NOT true that "members of the clergy ... are being allowed to get away with it" and that it is simply NOT TRUE that "the very laws of Malta are set in a way to protect the members of the clergy from prosecution in a court of law". So much so that there are people who are actually rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of erring priests being sent to prison. If anyone for whom I was responsible were to be indecently assaulted by anybody, not only by a priest, I would not sit idly by and expect that someone else would do the reporting to the police on my behalf. I would either take the necessary action myself or I would shut up - I would not blame the criminal's club. Incidentally that is what I actually did. But then, my intention was to protect society from a public menace not to harm the Church or any other innocent "club". My "message to you" is to learn to use respectful language. Foul language does not strengthen your argument - it only weakens it.
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 19:05
@Joseph Bonello.
Please read my comment again, several times if necessary, until you understand that I did not judge you, or anybody else, a fool and also that I did not claim to be intelligent myself. I only asked you to consult other people whe were intelligent, and who were not fools.
Joe Xuereb
Oct 31st 2010, 18:41
For the umpteenth time, there is an ocean of difference between child sexual abuse by a trusted priest and the same offence committed by the 'the man who runs a small bakery business down the lane'. As an atheist (and foolish with it at times, and silly too, as I have a sense of humour) I can afford to be entirely objective about such matters. No so the believer. The believer, like the mother and daughter I gave as an example earlier on, has a vested interest in seeing no difference between priestly abuse and that committed by 'grandpapa'. He's got no choice. Admitting that churchy transgressions of this, or indeed any other, nature is particularly and singularly heinous, and like no other, exactly because it goes against what the church stands for, ie no-scandal-to-be-committed, ever! otherwise people will stop coming to church - owning up to the scandal one's investment would be turned on its head. So better to play down the seriousness of child sexual abuse by saying 'everybody' abuses, what's the fuss, go chase the non-church abusers, why don't you?!' If only it were as conveniently, self-servingly simple as all that!
Joe Xuereb
Oct 31st 2010, 14:57
@Giov.DeMartino. I speak as an atheist. Believers believe in godly punishment after death. I don't. I want, to see punishment meted out here and now. Having said that, I believe, indeed am aware (worldy person that I am, ie not cocooned and feathered by implausible myths) that the sinner is his own punishment. You see, I do not lie because I UNDERSTAND the damage that lying does to the lied-to and to myself. Diminishes me, in other words. A true atheist, DeMartino, informs himself about sin and its implications to him/herself and others. Now, do you not think this a wonderful paradox coming from an atheist? It's what I call using one's conscience - but really, with honesty. And 'confessing my failings' to a man who may well be enjoying my 'lustful outpourings'! Nah! confession/confessor are redundant. They may be a sacrament, but they're redundant. To an atheist they're superfluous. You see, the setup says, commit as many sins as you like, we will forgive you. And of course nothing changes. Leaving behind this joke an endless trail of human debris. I've moved away from that Giovannin, foolish atheist that I am. Accoding to one doc, id est!
Alex Ciantar
Oct 31st 2010, 11:57
Just a bit of your own medicine that we keep hearing over and over gain ...... to those religious fundamentalists out there................... he who defends those guilty of heinous and disgusting crimes such as paedophile priests are grave sinners and are destined to damnation and hell!!!!!!
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 10:48
@Joseph Bonello.
"There are no foolish atheists, just like there are no foolish catholics and no foolish muslims.' (Joseph Bonello).
I beg to differ. There ARE some foolish atheists, some foolish Catholics and some foolish muslims. Ask any atheist, any Catholic, any muslim and anybody else who has the rudiments of an intelligence and who is not an absolute fool. End of comment.
Joseph Bonello
Oct 31st 2010, 11:41
No...I dont take advice from people who judge others as fools and who claim they are intelligent. I prefer to heed those who "think" rather than those who "know". I'm not judging where you stand, but maybe some already do.
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 10:38
@AlexCiantar
Please make up your mind what you expect me to do. One can either “condone” or “find a solution” to your “loop holes in the church and justice systems". It is not possible to do both at the same time. I have not quickily "pointed out any loopholes” and most certainly I would not “condone” any loopholes that may exist in the laws. And last of all it is not within my competence either “to find a solution” or “to remove them”. You are knocking on the wrong door.
Christians are not hypocrites hiding behind their “cloak(!) and collar". They readily
admit that they are fallible, frail human beings like everyone else. They continually ask God to “forgive our trespasses” and beg Holy Mary to intercede and “pray for us sinners”. On the other hand, atheists do not admit the necessity to beg forgiveness from God - possibly because they consider themselves to be sinless and unaccountable but most certainly because they pretend that there is no God who can forgive them!
Alex Ciantar
Oct 31st 2010, 10:54
So what you are saying that it is ok to be a hypocrite and a double faced and that priests and the religious can hide behind the excuse of being infallible and can make mistakes as a human being......and this of course when it suits you!!!!! All other times you walk around and claim to be saints on earth!!!! Please don’t insult our intelligence Dr Francis Saliba we are in the year 2010 no back in 40’s & 60’s
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 18:50
@AlexCiantar
No I am not saying that it is OK to be a hypocrite. Please read again my comment, more than once if necessary until you spot that what I actually said was, and I quote: "Christians are not hypocrites ..."
Alex Ciantar
Oct 31st 2010, 20:37
@ Dr Francis Saliba "Christians are not hypocrites ..." oh come on who are you trying to kid? And please do pull the other one!!!
of all religions in the world the catholic religion is there most hypocritical of them all and half the world knows it!!!
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 05:03
@AlexCiantar.
No, Sir! You simply do not know what it means to be a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone who pretends not to be a sinner when he is actually a sinner. You must belong to that "half of the world" that does not know it and does not bother to learn by consulting a good dictionary. Christians admit that they are sinners and beg to be forgiven. I quoted the Christian Pater Noster and the Hail Mary prayers in case you have forgotten those prayers.
Alex Ciantar
Nov 1st 2010, 09:48
@ Dr Francis Saliba
The real definition of a hypocrite is to do as one pleases (sinning) and being reassured that one is forgiven during confession and prayer.
Alex Ciantar
Nov 1st 2010, 09:50
cont. 2
To protect priests in any way or form when committing heinous and unspeakable crimes against children.
To threaten with damnation and hell if one favours in voting for divorce thus depriving people in a second relationship a proper married life and then claim to be charitable towards family values.
To judge, gossip and spread rumours on others, to be discriminatory and racist and then going to church and hear mass.
To walk behind the redeemer supposedly praying for forgiveness but gossiping about other peoples business instead.
Going to prayer meetings but gossiping spiteful hatred and rumours towards other parishioners.
Alex Ciantar
Nov 1st 2010, 09:51
cont. 3
Not letting others join a prayer group because their 16 year old girl has had a child out of wedlock
The parish priests sends out those around him spying on others in the same village so he may take his holy decisions.
To go to confession and then to find 30 minutes after the same priest makes a sermon in mass of your confession (in your presence too)
To preach sermons which are politically inclined?
A supposedly catholic doctor that gives advice where to get an abortion or performs an abortion.
A supposedly catholic Lawyer defending a rapist, paedophile, murderer when he knows for sure the crime was committed
Not to pay taxes, break the law etc. and going to mass on Sundays if nothing is wrong
William P Flynn
Oct 31st 2010, 10:13
As usual DrSaliba doesn't pay attention, invents new ways and fallacious argument to trip over his own words and traps himself into a corner.
He calls atheists foolish even as he staunchly believes in fairy-tale miracles, saintly fantasies and all the mumbo jumbo.
Using his usual fallacies and introducing “foolish atheists” as a distraction will only lose him the debate…again; for how would even a million foolish atheists cleanse the vile crimes of one child rapist priest?
The words "infallible church" have been used thousands of times in fact in this paper by his side of the religious argument. I googled it and found 3890 results.
DrSaliba tries to weasel and spin and claws at the filth to try to get to the moral high ground in a paedophile priest saga which even the Vatican referred to as "filth". Even when child rapist priests are caught he still wants to defend them as poor sinners. He seems to have difficulty with the word "criminals".
This video refers to rapist priests walking the streets in Malta but victims are reticent to come forward.
Hopefully this great victory for these incredibly brave and hurt men will encourage others.
GiovDeMartino
Oct 31st 2010, 09:40
La jien qassis u anqas qed nipprova niddefendi lill-individwi, imma, IVA niddefendi bil-qawwa kollha l-istituzzjoni. Il-Knisja, jigifieri. U zgur li taqlibha lill-mara/lir-ragel hija hag'ohra. Anki toqtol u tisraq hija hag'ohra. Bhalissa dnub wiehed haw....il-pedofolija u trs tkun imwettqa minn xi membru tal-kleru. U zgur li dan jien nikkundannah bil-kbir, imma kif tidhol l-istituzzjoni b'dan kollu? Jekk ministru jkun korrott allura jkun korrott il-partit kollu? Hafna minn dawk li tant qed jiddispjacihom ghat -tfal qed jaghmlu hekk ghax ma jahmlux lill-Knisja. Tant hu hekk li fin-nofs zeffnu anki l-ezistenza/inezistenza t'Alla. X'ghandu x'jaqsam dan. Hazin jekk m'hemmx Alla ghax allura dawn il-qassisin korrotti mhux se jiehdu dak li haqqhom. Hafna missirijiet bir-ragun kollu jitkazaw meta huma, il-missirijiet, biex ikellmu lil liedhom jaghmli litanija shihs ta' dagha li jwahhax. Meta dawn it-tfal go daehom ma jisimghux hlief oxxenitajiet u fejn il-pornografija hija parti integrali mil-hajja taghhom. Tara familji, u huma hafna, fejn go darhom, quddiem uliedhom, isiru l-gfharukazijet kollha possibbli. Dawn se jitkazaw? Isimghuhom hafna missirijiet u anki ommijiet ikellmuhom lil uliedhom. Araw kif ihalluhom "jilbsu", propjament jinzghu, tfajliet ta' hdax u tnax-il sena. Dawn se jitkazaw? Dawn mhumex jaghmlu hag'ohra hlief jizvugaw ilk-mibeghda taghhom ghal kulkma ghandu x'jaqsam mal-knisja.
ray sacco
Oct 31st 2010, 13:53
@giovdemartino:
jekk ministru jkun korrott, il partit tieghu ma jkunx. izda jekk ministru jkun korrott u l partit tieghu jaghttilu, jahbieh u jiddefendih allura l partit ikun hati daqsu. il knisja kattolika hbiet u ghattiet dawn il hnizrijiet u allura ghandha xi twiegeb wkoll sur de martino. semplici hafna ghal min ghandu nitfa sens komun!
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 09:25
@RaySacco
The people who care are those who respect the truth about the “infallibility” of the Church once the subject was brought up by others, not me. The readers who do not care are those who are only interested in vilifying the Church in every possible way and who have no interest in discovering the truth. Your “monsters” who are “still roaming around are children” owe their freedom to those who had the right to report to the police but omitted to do so – and that excludes the Church and its Response team.
William P Flynn
Oct 31st 2010, 11:57
No it does not exclude "the Church and its Response team". The overseas bishops are now falling over themselves passing their files to police in America, Ireland and Europe. But not in Malta.
That they are protecting the victims is another sham lie and a cop out in centuries of lying and hiding child rapist priests by the Catholic church. Rapist priests can still be tried without compromising the privacy of the victims.
No sane person believes Dr Saliba's excuses.
ray sacco
Oct 31st 2010, 13:48
@dr.francis saliba:
catholic clergy paedophile acts have been hidden by the catholic church. this is a well known fact which anybody with a shred of common sense acknowledges! if you still do not regard these presumed paedophiles as presumed monsters, than what can i say! its your opinion anyway!
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 1st 2010, 09:20
@WilliamPFlynn.
I am concerned only with the situation as I know it, first hand, in Malta. Experience has taught me not to accept uncritically your wild indiscriminate assertion about the local situations even here in Malta that could be easily checked and were proved to be totally different from what you claimed them to be. For that reason I have no desire to check up also on the situation you intrduce as it exists abroad. I do not have time to waste. I have already made it abundantly clear that I consider all paedophilia, clerical or laity, here or abroad to be reprehensible. Much more reprehensible is the attempt, of which you form a prominent part, to depict the problem as being somehow peculiar to the Catholic Church and rampant among its clergy.
Joe Xuereb
Oct 31st 2010, 08:05
There is no doubt in my mind that the Church, as an Institution, and the Vatican (whatever that means) and every single church member (ie the priests, bishops, the whole hierarchy from top to bottom) - I am sure they view paedophilia with contempt. BUT, they know that the Institution they belong to is only as good as its credibility to the hoi polloi so they do everything to hush up the issue. Instead, it's very loud on issues like conscience - that's a laugh and a half! - and divorce, with abortion and euthanasia thrown in (as if they were the same thing) in the same bad-breath. Matters surfaced ages ago but, for the reasons I've just mentioned, these matters are dragging their feet. Or should I say, they are being made to drag their feet.
To give an example. If a daughter goes to her mother to confide in her that her father is abusing her, the mother's reaction is to deny this and chastises the daughter. You see, taking the painful and awful confidentiality on board would open a veritable can of worms. So better deny, hush up! And continue playing 'happy families'. Likewise, the Church!
ray sacco
Oct 31st 2010, 07:59
@dr.francis saliba:
why do you keep trying to bring up excuses for the way the catholic church protected these presumed perverts? magesterium, enlightenment, etc...............who cares! all the people care is that these presumed monsters are still roaming around our children and enjoying the prime of their lives! and i bet that when they are sentenced, they will be excused for old age and bad health! how's that for justice?
Charmaine Marmara'
Oct 31st 2010, 07:45
i wish they get life , all of them in a prison like criminals are treated , coz these people certainly are no men of god .
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 06:30
@WPFlynn
Your comment is replete with your usual insinuations.
The members of the Catholic Church do not claim any infallibility – only the Pope and the magisterium claim it and only in very restricted situations. We believe that we are all sinners in need of repentance and forgiveness. It is only foolish atheists who claim absolute enlightenment and the freedom of not being answerable to a God in whom they try not to believe.
Alex Ciantar
Oct 31st 2010, 08:49
@ Dr Francis Saliba it seems that you are quick to point out all the loop holes in the church and justice system but not quick enough to condone or find a solution to remove them?.
As for your comments about atheists!!! .....at least they do not claim to follow the footsteps of Jesus and preach his gospel and then carry out heinous crimes they are duty bound not to commit!!!! The irony is they hide behind their cloak and collar ....or should we call them loop holes now???
Joseph Bonello
Oct 31st 2010, 09:39
There are no foolish atheists, just like there are no foolish catholics and no foolish muslims. Maybe you dont realize it, but by making that statement you are simply a prey for fundamentalist predators. If we have God's cause at heart, we defend his ultimate creation, the human mind, and its freedom to search and make sense of this universe and life, in varied ways. Yes, we have the right to believe that we're turning into an animal when we die, or that virgins are awaiting for us, or that a Saint performs miracles to save a maltese kid while at the same time lets boatloads of other people drowning every day in rough seas. And we have a right also to believe that we dont have any truth yet, only worldly people claiming it and using it to prey on our spirituality. We are all foolish in a sense, but we are most foolish when we persist in thinking we know all there is to know. Of course, this is just my opinion and I claim no objectivity for it. I might be very wrong, but certainly I will never stop thinking and using God's gift to me.
William P Flynn
Oct 30th 2010, 23:40
Where are those people who a few months ago kept repeating that there are no child rapist priest offenders in Malta?
Of course, as we all know, in the whole of Malta and for all time, these three priests must be the first and only priests who offended in this way. Of all the priests in Malta they are the only ones. Yes! Of all the priests in Malta over the centuries, these three are the only ones. Absolutely.
This is because the church is infallible as one fellow keeps telling us in these comments. In other words if the infallible church doesn't tell us and hasn't told us about any other priest offenders, they obviously don't exist.
I’m sure every Maltese person believes that because the church and the Curia have shown nothing but honesty, truth and fair play.
On the other hand, I personally wouldn’t trust them as far as I can throw a bus load of priests; and wouldn’t allow any priest to come within a laser beam of any of my children or grandchildren.
GiovDeMartino
Oct 30th 2010, 20:20
Kemm qeghdin sewwa! Hafna qassisin huma korrotti, pedofolii, jaghmlu ghall-flus, bla skrupli ta' xejn......u hafna kummentaturi hawn taht huma onestiissmi, qatt ma qalbuha lill-mara/ragel jew ahjar partner, dejjem jaghtu l-gurnata tax-xoghol, jiddikjaraw kull centezmu li jaqilghu, jaghmlu karita u jghinu lill kulmin hu fil-bzonn, f'kelma wahda dawn anqas qatt ikollhom xi jqerru....imma billi la hemm ebda Alla, la nfern la genna....xejn dawn se jispiccaw taht sitt piedi trab ezatt bhalma se jispiccaw il-qassisin korroti u hziena. Ingustizzja kbira din!
C.Busuttil
Oct 30th 2010, 21:05
U x'tistenna minn erba seksieka dawn jafu fuq kollox dejjem l-istess kantiliena kontra l-knisja anke fejn taghmel tajjeb umbghad l-istess ipokriti meta jinqala x'haga tarhom sejrin jigru lejn L-isla quddiem ir-Redentur. Hawn ovvja li jichdu imma meta nigu ghall-fatti l-verita hija ferm differenti.
Bhalikieku fil-knisja biss hemm il-pedofili
Habib dawn jinqdew b'din l-issue biex jitfaw dell ikrah fuq il-knisja halli minghalihom taghlaq halqa fuq affarijiet bhal divorzju, abbort, adulterju mhux ghax jimpurtom mill-vittmi
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Oct 30th 2010, 22:23
Li taqliba lil xi mara jew ragel hi hafna differenti minn qassis jew patri li jabbuza t-tfal innocenti iktar u iktar meta dawn bl-iskuza ta' vokazzjoni jfittxu lit-tfal fi hdan il-knisja. Ma nahsibx li l-irgel jew in-nisa mizzewwga jippretendu li huma l-ministri t'Alla. Din hi l-knisja li tgid li hi divina u li tikkundanna dawk li jghixu flimkien minghajr zwieg. Din hi knisja li ma tirraportax lil dawn il-kazi lill-pulizija. Din hi istituzzjoni korrotta.
M. Fenech
Oct 30th 2010, 23:42
May I ask you, are you a priest? Or are you one of those the defend the church even in stories like this? Where even the Vatican said that it's a big SHAME that these horrible things happened, and condemned these acts without any reservation!
H Galea
Oct 30th 2010, 20:10
Friends, this has been going on as from the bigining of the world. Why did Kain kill Adam, sure he experienced the similar fate. Hope the Vatican reason things up and not call them alligations, perhaps one hundred years from now you all be made Saints, or Santi subito, you never know.
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Oct 30th 2010, 22:27
My book, Queer Mediterranean Memories, refers to a case in 1586 (see page 150) ... and in Malta. As the Murphy report observed, this is endemic.
H Psaila
Oct 30th 2010, 19:14
@C Camilleri
Now I understand why the vtctims had refrained from revealing their identity earlier. With people like you and your ilk around ready to scorn the victims rather than the perpetrators I don't blame them.
Evil people have always been within the church. They become men of the cloth to acheive their evil aims. Their are a lot of good priest who really want to serve the Lord but the church authourities have always hidden the misdeeds of the few much to its own peril. Wrong is wrong and whoever commits it should be exposed and made to pay for his errors.
It is really a shame that it had to take seven years for the response team to conclude its findings and just as shameful on our justice system to drag on with the case for so long.
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 30th 2010, 17:40
@Louise Vella
The Church does not "aspire to some superior moral level whilst at the same time doing the precise opposite of what it preaches". It condemns paedophilia unreservedly when committed by anybody, especially by any of its members. However we live in an age of separation of Church from State. The victims of these crimes, or their legal representatives, should complain to the Church response team AND to the police if they desire police action and when the alleged crime was not committed in public. The Church response team is debarred from correcting that deficiency on its own initiative because of the legal obligation to observe confidentiality. You have been told as much many times before - predictably with no apparent result.
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Oct 30th 2010, 22:33
Are not the victims also bound by the pontifical secret? It is the moral duty of each archbishop, bishop (and for that matter any priest) and the Response Team to report such matters to the police. After all they take the moral high ground. Arguably Catholicism makes children dependent on priests - emotionally and spiritually. Catholicism never allows believers to grow up and make up their own minds because it wants them to be fidili. Yes, the Church condones the abuse of children and it will continue to condone such abuse until such it makes it mandatory to report such abuses to the police. The interests of the children should be paramount as the Declaration on the Rights of the Child makes clear. I think all the members of the Response Team should be ashamed of themselves for taking this long. They should be sacked or be forced to resign. The whole concept of a Response Team should be abandoned. The government is equally guilty by its failure to deal with such matters promptly.
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 31st 2010, 06:20
@Joseph CarmelChetcuti
Before rushing to print, please get your facts right. There is no such thing as a "pontificial secret" binding the victims of priest paedophiles. There is the right enjoyed by these victims and their guardians to lodge a report with the police so to enable them to start their investigations. This right was not availed of and the Church Response Team could not act on their behalf.
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 1st 2010, 21:37
Have you read Geoffrey Robertson's book The Case of the Pope? Read it and you will find out all about the pontifical secret. Read Sacramentorum sanctitatus tutela, an apostolic letter from Ratzinger (2001), which clearly states that "cases of this kind are subject to pontifical secret." It is you who should get your facts right. I expect better from someone who goes about with a "Dr" in front of his name.
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 1st 2010, 21:40
@ Saliba: "This right was not availed of and the Church Response Team could not act on their behalf." I wonder why? Because they know that the Church has a grip on the government and because priests discourage people continually from reporting matters to the police.
Tracy Caruana
Oct 30th 2010, 17:12
Min qieghed jikteb hawn qieghed ihozz fl-ilma. Xbajna naqraw dwar kleru li jikkoabita u gieghli jissemmew it-triqat ukoll. Min suppost li jiehu passi lanqas biss jaghti kaz. Li kien qieghed isir ghadu jsir sal-lum stess!
C.Busuttil
Oct 30th 2010, 20:52
Mid-dehra taf hafna allura ghandek id-dover li taghmel rapport lill-pulizija. Jew imkellha l-pulizija ghandha tibghat ghalik ghax persuna infumata ha naraw jekk huma biss is-soltu paroli jew fatti.
Jekk taf b'abbuzi u ma titkelliemx hatja daqs minn qed jikser il-ligi
Joseph Dimech
Oct 30th 2010, 16:27
Where is Mr Joe ZAMMIT, the guy who's throwing fire and brimstone to us who see no evil in divorce? His opinion on these cases of pedophilia by the priesthood is highly appreciated.
Louise Vella
Oct 30th 2010, 16:19
The fact is that the Church aspires to some superior moral level whilst at the same time doing the precise opposite of what it preaches. The terrible things we humans do to each other are only possible because we choose to tolerate them. Doing nothing in the face of great wrong is an act of violence – a violent refusal to act to prevent harm when we have both the capacity to understand the harm caused and the power to prevent it.
c. camilleri
Oct 30th 2010, 16:09
It seems that these cases serve as a good platform for the anti church crusaders to vent their emotions.
D Vella
Oct 30th 2010, 18:27
You expect us to sit back like the authorities and do nothing.?. you want us to shelter and give comfort to evil,which is precisely what the Church has done these past seven years,and it isn't over yet,for the whole thing has still to go to the Vatican?.. A Court case has been taking place in secret for seven years,in the meantime this evil is still at large and living amongst us. listen to those guys talk on video and look at the World news on this paper and see how the abused feel mister and then comment.It is disgusting it has taken this long for the Church to act and for the Civil Authorities to have sat and done nothing.
Alex Ciantar
Oct 30th 2010, 15:54
My question is why does the church have to hand these priests over? Do they have some kind of diplomatic immunity? And where are the police in this matter? Why can’t they just arrest them and take them to court? What is everyone waiting for? For these priests to grow old and die before any action is taken?
Dr Francis Saliba
Oct 30th 2010, 17:28
The police can take action "ex officio" only if the crime is committed in a public place. In other cases it is imperative that a report be lodged with them. The Church Response Team cannot step in and rectify that ommission because it is bound by the confidentiality of its office. That is the law.
That has been explained umpteen times already, but you can only lead a mule to the drinking trough - you cannot force it to drink.
patrick zammit
Oct 30th 2010, 15:20
High church officials who protect child raping priests are evil.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314936/Pope-named-defendant-Catholic-sex-abuse-probe.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The church has still not grasped the severity of the situation.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Female-priests-as-sinful-as-child-abuse-says-Vatican-98596864.html
Joseph Seisun
Oct 30th 2010, 14:58
I would like to say well done to all the victims for being courageous and speaking out. I also encourage those victims who have not come forward yet. We cannot permit to let these so called priests to go around free, as if they have done nothing. What they have done is disgusting, especially when considering that they present themselves as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus himself said "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." ( Mat 18:6)
Salvu Schembri
Oct 30th 2010, 14:55
This is all because the Church does not want Priests to marry. Having a wife will certainly distance these perversions. When is the Church going to wake up?
Jesmond Micallef
Oct 30th 2010, 15:42
Interesting, but please reconsider your own comment once again !!
patrick zammit
Oct 30th 2010, 16:07
Marriage is available to society at large but that does not stop members doing all sorts of horrid things. Child rapists are evil irrespective of who commits the crime. And when church authorities protect these rapists, evil appears to have been institutionalised.
victor pulis
Oct 30th 2010, 23:17
Mr. Schembri allowing priests to marry will not solve the problem. These perverts are seeking children not women for their pleasure so marriage to them will not be an option I'm afraid.
Joseph Calleja
Oct 30th 2010, 14:49
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!", the final line of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech" What a relief it must be for these men to finally know that they are being vindicated. Finally after it took the Curia Cover Up Team 7 long years to investigate the molestation of these young children now men. It took them 7 long years to pass on all their findings to Rome. How sad. It took a couple of hours for the Pope to listen to these abused men and he knew what went on 20 years ago. It took a few days for Mgrs Scicluna to do same and only God knows how long the Bishop of Malta knew about all this. It took the Curia Response Team (Cover up Team) 7 long years to come to a conclusion which they should have reached and concluded in a couple of months. Now under much pressure from the public they had no choice but to send their findings to Rome. I wonder if they sent the same documents to the civil courts. And why are these pedoephile hearings being held behind closed doors?
W. Azzopardi
Oct 30th 2010, 14:35
@David Farrugia.
The notion of God is not put into people' heads by priests . The most primitive humans believed in God. Maybe it was the sun or a volcano or a statue but the notion of God was always there. And it will always be there, you can either repress it or think about it.
David Farrugia
Oct 30th 2010, 16:08
Cant argue with that. Man always wondered about the mysterious universe and about the meaning of life, hence the notion of God. If nothing, it is clear by now, that each society, period, era, or country had and will continue to have its particular notion of God...as colourful and varied as literature or music or any other art. Nothing wrong with that, because it only adds to our humanity. Yet, it is when some of us humans take over and use their power to decide what and how we should think or live our spirituality that things start to turn for the worse. Or worse still, when they turn a "belief system" into an "objective truth" and pressure others to adhere to it, and threaten with the means they have at a particular moment in time.
Hence my argument to bring to justice NOW those who abuse innocent children, and lets not find peace and solice simply because they will face God or have some kind of punishement in another life!
Joseph Galea
Oct 30th 2010, 14:18
After seeing this video I ask ,why is it that every time something goes wrong it is associated with human behavior ,while when something goes in the right direction as we wished it is a miracle coming directly from god? And to be more confusing ,when the going gets all wrong and someone dies ,the priest during mass always tells us that god had the pleasure to call him or her to heaven.
Jesmond Micallef
Oct 30th 2010, 15:13
Dear Joseph, you make an intelligent human observation. Please consider this, if I may ask you to do so. What we do not know is what we define as a mystery, the unknown, and death is exactly just that. We tackle God with our own mind, God is spiritual, our human mind is not.
Why ?
We are too insecure, Joseph, which ever way you look at it.
I believe that this outcome is indeed Gods work and wish these people peace, hapiness and love. May God bless them and their families. As a fellow human being, I also wish that the priests here involved see to it and realise this very serious outcome of their own human weakness. The Church has to make sure that this does not repeat itself. I believe in the good work that the Church does and it does alot of good work.
Mike F Abbot
Nov 1st 2010, 16:11
Jesmond Micallef
"I believe that this outcome is indeed Gods work..." God took 7 years to come to this conclusion? you wish these people happiness?? huh?
We're talking about the rape of children here in case you haven't noticed - wrap up your beliefs in whatever prose you like - it changes nothing. There is NO excuse for not dealing with with issues like this immediately.
and by the way... "What we do not know is what we define as a mystery" is also not an excuse to fill in the gaps with claimed facts
what we do not know is simply not known - no need for frills.
We strive to discover, discuss and put forward theories but we will NOT replace with placeholder ideas and call them facts.
Jesmond Micallef
Nov 2nd 2010, 02:22
Mike F Abbot,
Science is not enough I'm afraid. It only seeks to describe what's already there, just a mere discovery. Humans are somehow fascinated by discovery, which is understandable really considering humans seem to relate to what other humans previously have discovered themselves.
I give glory to God and to humans. Most definitely.
M.G. Micallef
Oct 30th 2010, 13:45
And then the church accuses the single mothers, the separated, those co-abitating, the gays............ AND HER OWN PRIESTS???????
Wenzu Vella
Oct 30th 2010, 13:45
What a shame on the church not to hand over these priests to the police. The Catholic Church should stop protecting these bad apples if they want the respect of their parishioners.
ray sacco
Oct 30th 2010, 13:17
and meanwhile, these presumed paedophiles (and others who are still being protected by the church) are still running around free! do the catholic church authorities, the church response team and the criminal court know how many more children could be abused in seven years? SHAME!
Ray Vella
Oct 30th 2010, 13:03
With all this allegations the church has lost the battle of power and gone to the bottom line of shame, sa fl ahhar il knisja spiccat bizzina li ghamlu il qassisin stess.
ray sacco
Oct 30th 2010, 12:37
what a shame on the catholic authorities! SEVEN long dragging years and now they refer the case to the vatican!!!!!!!! and seven long years, as well, in the criminal courts!!!!! are they running these trials in a parallel manner? what a laugh they are making out of our so called justice!!!!!! and why is the criminal court hearing this case behind closed doors? are these presumed perverts, privileged citizens? if guilty, these men should have been behind bars long ago, not running around, enjoying the prime of their lives, crawling amongst our children! i hope that they won't end up guilty but let off from a prison sentence due to old age and weak health! this is so pathetic! how right george orwell was in his animal farm novel!
mario busuttil
Oct 30th 2010, 17:07
Everyone should be punished for doing something wrong....but also as catholic people we should forgive too....no one is a virgin....and no one has to blame the Church for few bad priests...
ray sacco
Oct 31st 2010, 07:35
@mario busuttil:
i agree. everyone should be punished for doing wrong. but were these clergy members punished????? not yet! and i strongly doubt if they ever will be! i ask you mr. busuttil: do you believe that if you had done what they did, would you be treated in a privileged way as they were treated? do you really believe you would be left running free, roaming amongst our children?
Louise Vella
Oct 30th 2010, 12:23
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.
Carmel serracino-Inglott
Oct 30th 2010, 15:30
Stop it. Let the course of justice take place. Are you without sin? to throw stones at the new naughty victims? People who LOVE revenge are like the Jews and Moslems ( not all ) a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. RESULT will be a situation like Palestine. Forgive not once but seven times seven . I do not agree that one wishes that the priests go behind bars. May they be taken if the court decides so but not by us. Do not get me wrong because Jesus himself said that it is better that one commits suicide rather than 'give' a scandal to children. So beware also those who are trying to throw dirt on the church rather the individual. Remember that Christ forgave those who did not know REALLY know what they were doing when they crucified Jesus. The more a victim hammers for revenge the less pity he might receive back. Remember that there may be a correlation between remaining a bachelor and peadophilic men. Therefore this is a sort of disability ( mental) . To me it is100% a disease to do these acts to children.
Edward Camilleri
Oct 30th 2010, 16:19
@Carmel
Forgive those that have persistently abused these men when young? What you are saying is tantamount to collaboration. These priests should have been put to justice way back and not just now we hear that there is enough evidence. It is nothing more than a cover up so that nothing will be done, or when something can be done its too late. This is not just a one time incident, and done be priests, persons that we learned to trust!
I would go beyond that, and call for an investigation of the church, for sure there are more than these priests who like to fiddle around.
patrick zammit
Oct 30th 2010, 16:57
CSI
"So beware also those who are trying to throw dirt on the church rather the individual."
The church you are trying to protect has involved herself in this "dirtying" by protecting priest child rapists (the individuals). By her own choice, the church has become an accomplice in this evil practice.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314936/Pope-named-defendant-Catholic-sex-abuse-probe.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Oct 30th 2010, 22:46
Oh I see it is a disease now not an abuse of power. So they are not guilty. Great work mate! I hope you won't end up launching public toilets as one of your namesake has done. The point is not that human beings behaved improperly (we can all do that). The real issue is why the Church puts the interest of priests and its own above those of the children.
ray sacco
Oct 31st 2010, 07:48
@carmel seracino inglott:
so what are you suggesting? that we forgive these assumed monsters and let them roam about because you think that paedophilia is only a sickness???????????? in fact that is what they are actually doing.............roaming about, free! and that is what we are all criticizing here! all, except some brain washed catholic fanatics who keep bringing up every justification in defence of these presumed perverts!
Charles Busuttil
Oct 30th 2010, 12:07
Does this mean that these priests used to abuse these boys during the night and then say mass early in the morning? Did they absolve one another? What a mess!!!
gary lusby
Oct 30th 2010, 13:12
They will answer to GOD,and I would not like to be in their shoes,,,
David Farrugia
Oct 30th 2010, 13:38
@gary lusby
Make them answer NOW! It is they who put your notion of God and afterlife into your head! wake up or else you're playing their game unfortunately!
If only the church in malta put a fraction of it's energy from its crusade against divorce, into exposing and bringing to justice such priests....we would all be a bit more impressed. But dream on!!