It is “unacceptable” for the Church to take eight years to investigate allegations of priestly abuse, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said.

He said that all cases of abuse should be referred to the police, when asked for his reaction to the inconclusive investigation by the Church’s Response Team into a woman’s allegation of abuse by Dominican friar Fr Charles Fenech.

The woman had reported the case to the Response Team in 2006 but the investigation was never concluded.

Response Team head Judge Victor Caruana Colombo did not respond to questions when asked about the delay yesterday.

Subsequently, the woman also reported the matter to the police and charges were filed against the priest in court.
 
“These cases should be treated by the police because they have the
competence to deal with them and the Church has to abide by the law,”
Mgr Grech said, without entering into the merits of the case.

A woman is alleging that Fr Fenech, director of the Kerygma Movement,
took advantage of her vulnerable state and abused her. He is denying the claims.

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