Ireland of the Mediterranean?

During the EU accession campaign, Ireland was touted as the model Malta should follow. Fortunately we did not. Malta is Malta and behaved as Malta.

Ireland’s economy imploded and had to be bailed out. Our economy needs no bailing out; it weathered the international storm. Maltese eyes, not Irish ones, are smiling.

Economically we are no Ireland in the Mediterranean; but is it possible that we can earn the title because of the cases of child abuse?

Sex abuse by priests and religious in Ireland has thrown the Church in deep crisis for many years. Faced by the cases of abuse, the Pope took the unprecedented step of writing a public letter to the Irish Church which included an apology and set in motion a process that will lead to structural reform.

Several bishops were forced to resign. Those who follow the ‘Quotes and News’ section of this page know that the situation at the present time is still as bad as it ever was. The report about the diocese of Cloyne was bad enough, while that which will be published in October about the Raphoe diocese is not expected to be any better.

A number of dioceses are facing increasing financial difficulties as income from collections has been negatively impacted by falling Mass attendance due to people’s disenchantment with the Church.

There are similarities between Catholic Ireland and Catholic Malta, but there are also important differences. Many in both countries had nurtured for a very long time the culture of concealment and denial vis-à-vis cases of sex abuse by priests against minors.

The good of the institution was preferred over and above the good of the children entrusted in the care of the Church.

It is unbelievable but true that there are those who still harbour the same sentiments even today.

Fortunately, there are a number of very important differences. Our bishops, for example, do not harbour any of these negative and damning attitudes. In January last year I compared them to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who is the most outspoken Irish bishop on the subject.

They strongly attack the culture of omertà and denial which is still present among many in the Church. On more than one occasion, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech have appealed to all Christians to cooperate with the competent authorities, including the civil authorities. They follow the stand taken by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca when in 1999 the Church, on its own initiative, approved clear and specific guidelines and set up the Response Team.

The bishops, on more than one occasion, had to pay a price for their courage. Bishop Grech was criticised by several people when he set up a second inquiry to investigate allegations of abuses at Lourdes Home and when he acted on the recommendations made.

Several in the ecclesiastical grapevine criticised Archbishop Cremona for his meetings with the abused victims of St Joseph’s Home and for his discussions about possible compensation. I am confident, though, that the Church will behave as a Church should responsibly behave on this issue.

It is a pity that this positive attitude of the bishops has not permeated all levels of the Church. It is a pity that those responsible for the mismanagement of aspects of the problem have not assumed their responsibility, and drew the logical conclusions that should have been arrived at.

Similar to what happened in the Deborah Schembri debacle, those responsible for the fiasco are unrepentant and still occupy positions of responsibility, enabling them toflop again.

Thanks to the bishops, we will not become the Ireland of the Mediterranean, but there are those whose mistakes placed us in danger of getting there.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt