Final meeting on victim compensation next week

Discussions on financial compensation for victims of clerical abuse are expected to be concluded next week.

Emerging from the second meeting yesterday on the sum the Catholic Church in Malta could be forking out to compensate the victims of sexual abuse by two priests at St Joseph Home for boys in the 1980s and 1990s, Archbishop Paul Cremona and the victims’ lawyer, Patrick Valentino, were tight lipped on what they had discussed.

At the end of their 90-minute meeting, Mgr Cremona only said that both parties had agreed to get together again next week for the final meeting, when they are expected to come to an amicable conclusion to the talks on financial compensation.

He said both sides “clarified their positions” on the matter yesterday.

They were visibly uncomfortable when faced with questions by the press and at one stage Mgr Cremona said: “We agreed not to divulge details of our discussions at this stage because talks are still underway.” Dr Valentino did not speak.

As they had done when they met the first time on August 17, both the Archbishop and Dr Valentino would not say whether the Curia or the Missionary Society of St Paul – the order that runs the home in Sta Venera where the orphans were abused – would be forking out the sum.

Curia lawyer Dominic Cassar also attended the meeting.

The victims had denied media reports that they had asked for €10 million as compensation and Dr Valentino had said the victims were seeking a package that included the services of social workers and psychologists.

This second meeting was held after Mgr Cremona met eight of the 11 abuse victims shortly after former priest Carmelo Pulis, who has since been defrocked, and Fr Godwin Scerri were sentenced to six and five years in jail respectively after being found guilty of abusing children in their care at a Church-run orphanage.

A third priest, Bro. Joseph Bonett, who was also facing criminal proceedings, died in January.

The Maltese Catholic Church passed on its findings into investigations on sexual abuse by a fourth priest, Fr Conrad Sciberras, to the Vatican for its decision. The Curia Response Team had confirmed that abuse allegations against Fr Sciberras were founded and the case was also investigated by a Church Tribunal.

Fr Sciberras has filed a judicial protest against one of the victims, Lawrence Grech, over his allegations of abuse. The priest said he had never been subjected to any criminal proceedings and none were pending.