The Archdiocese of Malta has called on former minister and media commentator Michael Falzon to substantiate remarks it said he made in the media alleging that “there are stories of…corruption…in the Curia’s own administrative structures” and that “the Archbishop knows about these cases”.

In a statement, the Curia denied that the archbishop knows of any such cases.

It said that under Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s stewardship, administrative and governance structures within the archdiocese had been strengthened through a range of measures aimed at bolstering transparency and accountability. These included:

• The setting up an Internal Audit Unit reporting directly to the Internal Audit Committee whose members act at arm’s length from the Archbishop’s Curia.
• The appointment of a money laundering reporting officer.
• A request for proposals from external auditors.
• A Whistleblowing Policy and the designation of two staff members as whistleblower reporting officers.
• The setting up a procurement office to further segregate duties and reduce the likelihood of error or fraud.

"Aside from the above administrative measures, which place the Archbishop’s Curia on a par with the most highly respected public entities, Archbishop Scicluna has also collaborated with colleagues at a Vatican level to strengthen measures and structures aimed at improving the broader Church’s response to clerical abuse cases," the Curia said.

"The Archdiocese strongly urges Mr Falzon, as well as anyone who believes they may have information regarding alleged corruption, to file reports with the appropriate authorities rather than resorting to gratuitous slurs and baseless statements," it said.