Former Xagħra archpriest, banned over child abuse claims, dies aged 85
Gozitan clergyman’s funeral will be celebrated by Gozo bishop
The former archpriest of Xagħra, who was banned from ever exercising his functions as a priest over child abuse claims, has died, aged 85.
The Gozitan diocese announced the cleric's death on Sunday: “It is with sadness that we announce the death of Mons. Eucharist Sultana at the age of 85. He served as archpriest of the Xagħra Parish between 1973 and 2004. May the Lord grant him eternal rest.”
On Tuesday, the diocese announced details of the Gozitan clergyman’s funeral, which will be celebrated by Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma.
The diocese said a procession will set off from the Gozo mortuary to the oratory of the Xagħra church at 1pm.
A vigil will then be held before the local band club participates in a procession to the church. The funeral will begin at 3pm.
In 2021, the Vatican permanently barred Sultana from serving as a clergyman following a canonical penal process by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - a tribunal that handles violations of Canon Law.
The case was referred to the Vatican by former Gozo bishop and now Cardinal Mario Grech upon receipt of a report by the Church’s Safeguarding Commission in 2018, which concluded that the victim’s allegations of sexual abuse against Sultana were deemed “credible.”
Sultana was investigated for sexually abusing an altar boy more than two decades ago.
Eucharist Sultana allegedly abused the boy for four years in return for gifts. The alleged abuse stopped when the boy was 17, and the abuse only surfaced years later when the victim plucked up the courage to report what he had suffered.
Sultana was investigated by police but never criminally charged over the abuse, as the case was time-barred.
That had led to calls for the removal of time barring in cases involving sexual abuse on children.