Speaking about child abuse by priests and religious during a recent press conference in Rome, Mgr Charles Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said: “Jesus has told us that the truth will make us free. There can be no healing, it is not possible to free oneself of this weight if we are not sufficiently humble and courageous to address the truth about the events, the truth of the wound, the need to fulfil our duty better.”

Mgr Scicluna is not a half-baked, upstart, disobedient priest. His very high official position in the Vatican gives authority to his statements. His above-average grey matter makes what he says more credibile.

In his above statement Mgr Scicluna clearly said that unless we face the truth about clerical child abuse we will never move forward. Many in the Church in Malta are at present in a state of denial following the decision of the Vatican to defrock a priest after finding him guilty of child abuse. (The decision about the other priest is expected soon.)

This decision was communicated to the Church in Malta some time before our courts sent two priests to prison for the same crimes. Both priests were also given the thumbs down of the Curia’s Response Team. Their confessions to the police confirm the commission of these horrendous acts.

All this notwithstanding, many prefer to find comfort in a state of denial. They try to undermine the credibility of the victims; they spread nasty things about them; say that the criminal-priests were treated unfairly and accuse the media of sensationalism. Now even Mgr Scicluna is under fire following his forthright and eye-opening interview with The Sunday Times.

Denial does nothing to help the victims of sex abuse, the families of the religious – also innocent victims, society in general, the Church and the perpetrators themselves. Denial creates a lose-lose situation.

The Vatican and Pope Benedict himself, refusing to play hide-and-seek with the truth, had tried to draw us away from this state of denial. During the Pope’s visit to Malta a Vatican statement had referred to the “victims”, not “alleged victims” of clerical abuse.

Three days later the Vatican upped its dose. The Pope himself said he had met victims of abuse by priests. On April 25, 2010, I wrote: “Those in the Church who are still in denial mode on the issue of child abuse should pinch themselves, wake up and face reality.” They didn’t and are in that state till today.

I can understand this state of denial, as this filth is a perversion for the Church, and consequently people cannot accept it happened. This filth has nothing to do with the Missionary Society of St Paul, which is a glorious order that does untold good to tens of thousands.

This filth has to do with a couple of individuals who unfortunately were not checked in time. This filth has to be faced and unreservedly condemned, not excused.

The state of denial the Church is now passing through is similar to the state of denial that is still lingering after the divorce referendum. The Church unfortunately adopted Alfred Sant’s silly way of interpreting referendums and is thus preventing itself from facing reality and handling it properly.

The mantra that only 38 per cent of the Maltese voted for divorce is a dangerous alienation.

If used, it should be accompanied by other figures: only 33 per cent voted against divorce and 67 per cent publicly defied the bishops’ very strong recommendation to vote No. Only about 33 per cent had publicly defied the bishops in 1962.

The Church now seems to be happy that the number of those publicly defying the bishops has only doubled.

Unfortunately, many in the Church have locked themselves in a double dip state of denial.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt

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