Lawrence Grech, the face behind the crusade for justice, wants the priests who abused him and his contemporaries to be put behind bars.

The 38-year-old welcomed the news that the Church’s Response Team had found enough evidence for their case against four priests to be sent to the Vatican for adjudication, but said he would not rest until these clergymen were imprisoned.

“To be happy I want to see them behind bars... to heal a bit of the hurt I endured. I see them at Bay Street and they’re out on the streets. It’s not as if they stole a chicken; they are facing charges of paedophilia,” he told a press conference yesterday.

“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,” he said. Mr Grech, a father of two, was the first to publicly claim that he was abused as a young orphan at St Joseph’s Home, St Venera. He felt his biggest weapon in obtaining justice was by casting aside his shame.

Since then, another 16 men have come forward claiming they were abused.

The men, who suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their guardians at the home some 20 years ago, have been objecting to the way justice was being delayed in a case that has dragged on for seven years.

However, during the past days there was “a ray of light at the end of the dark tunnel” according to Joseph Magro, 38, another victim who showed his face for the first time yesterday, when they received a letter from the Missionary Society of St Paul.

“I feel as if I won the lottery. I feel liberated. I was scared to show my face but for the first time we are being believed,” said Mr Magro, who wore a T-Shirt with the words ‘I Belong To Jesus’ emblazoned on the front.

He appealed to all those who endured a similar experience not to take it out on God: “I have no faith in man and priests, but I have found a pastor who has helped me forgive and I’ve accepted God in my life.”

His 40-year-old friend Philip Cauchi – who came forward for the first time together with Oliver Goodram, 39, and Joseph Mangion, 37 – was finding it harder to deal with the pain.

“I shed a tear when I read the letter. I’m pleased this is another step forward, but the hurt will never heal,” he said, his eyes welling up again.

The letter, signed by Fr Louis Mallia, MSSP regional superior, informed them the “allegations are founded”, and assured them all the “precautions” had immediately been taken to ensure the priests did not exercise their ministry, particularly in relation to children.

Lou Bondì, who is acting as the victims’ spokesman, said he had been informed by Church authorities that once the case was forwarded to the Vatican, reaching a verdict should not take long.

Three priests – Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Godwin Scerri and Bro. Joseph Bonnett – are facing sexual abuse accusations in court behind closed doors and the victims’ lawyer Patrick Valentino yesterday said he expected this long process to be concluded shortly.

The diocese’s response team, led by retired judge Victor Caruana Colombo, has also been simultaneously investigating the victim’s allegations since 2003. A fourth priest, Fr Conrad Sciberras, had been implicated, but last June The Sunday Times reported that he had never been called in by the police.

Only three priests – Fr Pulis, Fr Sciberras and Bro. Bonnet – were mentioned in the MSSP’s letter, dated October 26, which the six victims present at yesterday’s press conference received. The name of Fr Scerri, who is facing charges in court, was nowhere to be seen.

However, Fr Mallia, who personally wrote the letters to each individual, yesterday assured The Sunday Times that Fr Scerri’s name was included in letters sent to the other victims.

Preferring not to reveal too many details to respect everyone’s privacy, Fr Mallia said he had spoken to the four priests and informed them that the Response Team had established a basis for the men’s allegations.

“They were confounded when I told them... worried about the situation.”

Seven years ago, the MSSP had immediately issued a letter ordering the priests to stop administering their ministry as a precautionary reaction.

“They are far away from children and do not have the right to practise their ministry,” he said, adding that these past years had not been easy for everyone.

“We’re anxious to see the case closed and justice being done. It’s hard for the Order to all be tarred with the same brush.”

What happens next?

Four priests can be defrocked if a Church tribunal finds them guilty of sexually abusing the orphans in their care at St Joseph’s Home.

This is the maximum penalty the priests – Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Godwin Scerri, Bro. Joseph Bonnett and Fr Conrad Sciberras – can face, according to MSSP regional superior Fr Louis Mallia.

“I believe this is fair because you cannot blame all the clergy. It’s expected, and it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

This was confirmed by Mgr Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, when contacted in Rome.

“The maximum penalty for clergy in Canon Law is dismissal from the clerical state,” he said, adding he was not in a position to express an opinion on a specific case.

However, the victims are eagerly awaiting the court’s verdict and sentence even though one of the victims, Joseph Mangion, felt they should be put “in a safe cell, because they’re going to be given a good beating”.

Fr Mallia explained that when the response team concluded its report, this was handed over to him and the Archbishop before being sent to the Vatican.

“In all likelihood, we’ll receive a decree from Rome to set up a tribunal in Malta to start a fair canonical process where everybody can have their say,” he said.

In July, Mgr Scicluna had said that delays in preliminary investigations were a strong argument to expedite procedures. Given the delay of seven years in this case, did this fall within the parameters of an extrajudicial decree?

“The decision will be taken by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith after the Church authorities in Malta (the MSSP and the Archdiocese) have forwarded all the documentation available on the case. The quality of the preliminary investigation will also be considered in weighing which way forward to adopt,” he said.

The Congregation will study the documents and decide how to proceed. The procedures, he said, would be followed in Malta, while appeals or recourses would be referred back to the Congregation.

Asked when a final verdict was expected, Mgr Scicluna said: “It is difficult to give an indication. Each case is unique and will have to take the time necessary to ensure justice for all, without unnecessary delays.”