So the church in Malta has finally ‘apologised and repented’ for the sexual abuse suffered by various child victims under its care. Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, last Thursday said, “As a Church, we sympathise with the victims and feel the need for repentance for the sins of those who committed these abuses....”
Big bloody deal!! So why are the accused still roaming freely and acting as ‘priests’?
There have been 45 priests involved in alleged sexual abuse in the past 11 years, but miraculously none of them have ever been convicted or spent a day behind bars... at least not as far as we know.
Lately the church issued another statement in its defence. It said that it would be useless to report abuse cases to the police without the victims’ consent. Have they forgotten that in one case alone there are TEN victims who have come forward with their gruesome detailed stories of alleged abuse, and yet still nothing happened?
According to a report that appeared in Italy’s Repubblica, researched and written by my friend and investigative reporter Davide Carlucci (http://www.alisonbezzina.com/carlucci-report-on-child-sex-a/), the alleged victims have been made to sign a confidentially agreement about their testimony, and although it has been seven long years since four priests admitted to their sexual crimes in black on white, nothing has come out of it.
That’s right! Seven years ago, four priests admitted (oh and repented) to their sexual abuses on children who were in their care, and with a signed confession in hand, and ten victims testifying behind closed doors, the state and the church have done absolutely nothing about it yet.
According to Carlucci, when a social worker caught Fr. Charles Pulis allegedly abusing of Lawrence Grech (at the time a minor), the Church tried to block the investigation citing an agreement with the government which precludes priests from being tried through the ordinary courts.
The court rejected the appeal but ensured that the testimony documents remain secret so that nobody has been able to read the minutes with the confessions.
According to Carlucci, in these confessions Fr. Joseph Bonnet said: "Leonard (another victim), liked sitting on my legs ... One day we were both naked...and perhaps at that time I masturbated in front of him.... "
Fr. Charles Pulis, said: "My room was like a club, all the kids stayed on my bed. My weakness began between 1982 and 1983. Unfortunately the sexual abuse was very frequent. "
Carlucci goes on to interview Father Anthony Mercieca who lives in Victoria Gozo and who had became famous in 2006 for allegedly molesting Mark Foley (a member of the United States House of Representatives). At the time Foley resigned after being accused of ‘sexually bothering’ his young collaborators, and in turn claimed that Father Anthony Mercieca had abused him when he was thirteen years of age. Carlucci, who managed to interview Mercieca face to face, quotes him saying, ‘sometimes we bathed together and I might have touched him (Foley) once.’
To top it all off the Pope, who is about to grace us with his presence later on this month, is still refusing to comment about the matter. Perhaps this is too much of a thrifty matter for his Holiness to get involved in, or perhaps, just like his top Vatican officials, he thinks that this is just part of a "hate campaign" triggered by his 2008 comments that gay and transsexual people are a threat to humanity. Chalk and cheese!
Perhaps his Holiness thinks nothing of the allegation that he was aware of paedophiles continuing to work as priests, and that when he was Archbishop of Munich and Frising (1977-1982) he allegedly sent one paedophile priest to therapy in 1980. The priest was later convicted of his crimes though he continues to work as a priest to this day.
So what if the Maltese Church was amongst the first dioceses to set up a sexual abuse response team in 1999? Clearly it’s utterly ineffective! The victims are being taken for a ride, and so are the rest of us. And now, for the cherry on the cake, our tax money is being used to fund the Papal visit. What a tyrannical disgrace!
Oh but please note that the Malta bishops have appealed to all Christians to cooperate with the Church and the civil authorities to help stamp out abuse.
But seriously!