Eleven men who were sexually abused by priests when they were boys have not heard from a therapeutic board set up by the Church six months ago to help such victims.
Since they announced the board, none of us has heard anything
Lawrence Grech, one of the victims, said he expected to be approached by the board set up for the very purpose of offering therapeutic help to abuse victims.
He added that “over the coming days” he and the other victims will be formally filing the court case against the Church requesting compensation for damages suffered at the hands of its priests.
In October, the Church announced the setting up of the Therapeutic Evaluation Board tasked with directing victims of sexual abuse by clerics to therapy.
The board, made up of a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a social worker, is to determine the sort of therapy needed by the victims and refer them to the people who can help.
The bill would then be footed by the relevant ecclesiastical authority.
“Since they announced the board, none of us has heard anything. They did not approach us.
“I would have expected otherwise,” said Mr Grech, who has taken on the role of spokesman for the victims.
Until last night, questions sent to the Curia asking why the board was not adopting an outreach approach, given its very nature, had not been answered.
In August 2011, Godwin Scerri, 75, and Charles Pulis, 64, both former members of the Missionary Society of St Paul, were sentenced to five and six years’ imprisonment respectively for sexually abusing 11 boys in their care at St Joseph Home in Sta Venera some 20 years earlier.
Last December, a month after the judgment was confirmed on appeal, the 11 victims filed an official letter demanding compensation after they alleged the authorities knew of the abuse and did nothing about it.
Mr Grech yesterday said the victims would soon befiling the official case before the First Hall of the Civil Court as the Church insisted it was not responsible.