Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna, speaking of the compensation which “victims of clerical child abuse will now receive” has noted that this “is personal responsibility”, (The Sunday Times, October 14).

He further explained that “a person who does damage to somebody is liable to pay for that damage”. In other words, Mgr Scicluna was most correct when explaining the responsibilities arising from justice for our behaviour.

Subsequently, most correctly and resting on what God tells us in Holy Scripture, Mgr Scicluna clearly noted that he does not “believe in vicarious liability in this context”. Reference was being made to the fact that “the English Court of Appeal had made rulings in that regard with respect to the Church”.

Yes, most correctly following the teachings of the Holy Spirit, Mgr Scicluna went on noting: “The people responsible for that need to pay for their sins and for their crimes and they need to pay compensation.”

Apparently we are running away with the wrong idea that, because “the English Court of Appeal has made rulings in that regard with respect to the Church”, that means that the sentence of the English court is something infallible and according to the rules of God, which, in this case, is not the case.

Furthermore, in The Times of October 15, we read that “Maltese victims of clerical sex abuse have criticised new Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna for saying compensation should be paid by the priests who committed the abuse, not the Maltese Church”.

So these victims expect people such as me and others forming the Maltese Church – who have nothing to do with such abuse – to pay for those committing them. I would suggest to the victims not to consider the Church their enemy. The Church can never be an enemy to anyone. Yes, as Mgr Scicluna rightly pointed out, it is most “unfair to make the Church vicariously liable because the offences were committed by individual priests, not the community”.

“Ubinam gentium sumus?” (Where in the world are we?) Roman philosopher Cicero once said this in his oration against Catiline. This Roman expression would apply very well to the atmosphere prevailing among us.