Brother Joe Bonett, one of the three clerics charged with abusing children in his care at St Joseph’s Home has died, The Times has learnt.

Bro. Bonett, 63, passed away at 4 a.m. yesterday at Id-Dar tal-Kleru, in Birkirkara, where he was receiving care for the past year. He was terminally ill with bone cancer.

Bro. Bonett was for some time responsible for the institute. In the 1980s, he was also involved in the Depiro Youth Centre, where he helped organise the football nursery. In 1987, when based at St Joseph’s Institute, Bro. Bonett helped set up the St Venera football club nursery and remained involved until the early 1990s.

There is a ban on the publication of the names of the priests involved in the criminal case, which is being heard behind closed doors.

The priests filed a constitutional application last week complaining the ban was not being respected and that this was affecting their right to a fair trial. In a second application, they also asked for the ban to apply to the constitutional case they had just filed.

The victims, about eight of them, were in the international spotlight when they met Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Malta last April after having met Archbishop Paul Cremona.