Hurt, angry victims want to meet Pope

Six men cried openly as they called for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI to discuss sexual and physical abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of clergy as children growing up in an orphanage.

Tears streamed down their cheeks and they covered their faces with their hands as one of them, Lawrence Grech, called on the Pope to condemn abuse by local clergy during this weekend's visit to Malta.

"This gesture would be of great help to us," Mr Grech, one of 10 men testifying in a seven-year-old court case against three priests, said in a press conference.

The men have also called for a private meeting with Archbishop Paul Cremona "to help us heal from the pain we went through and are still suffering".

In a short statement, the Curia said Mgr Cremona "gladly accepted to meet them without any prejudice to the proceedings" both in court and before the Church's Response Team.

The alleged victims have also called for a meeting with Mgr Charles Scicluna, one of the most senior figures in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, which also deals with allegations of abuse by clergy.

When contacted by The Times just after the press conference, and told of the men's request, Mgr Scicluna said: "As a Maltese working in the Vatican on such cases, I am willing to meet with them in collaboration with the Archdioceses of Malta."

Asked whether a meeting with the Pope was possible, Mgr Scicluna said while he had no doubt about the pontiff's willingness to meet them, the extremely tight schedule of the 26-hour visit could make it difficult.

Last week, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, speaking generally, said "the Pope has written that he is available for new meetings" with victims.

The Maltese bishops have already issued an apology to victims of abuse at the hands of the clergy but the feeling expressed yesterday was that this was not enough and came years too late. One insisted that an apology had to be made face-to-face.

Wearing white T-shirts, with the word "Justice!!!" written in orange on them, the men insisted that they were not asking for financial compensation but wanted to see justice being done.

"We have nothing against the Maltese Church or the Pope. All we want is the justice which we were not given after seven years," Mr Grech, the only one to waive his anonymity, said.

Speaking in a broken voice, one man alleged that a priest used to kiss him, covering his face with saliva. "I thought he did it because he loved me," he said, breaking down, as his friend put his hand on his leg in an attempt to console him.

Another admitted that he did not realise he was being abused when the incidents were happening.

"I want justice as soon as possible. We have been going to court as if we have done something wrong ourselves," another said. Mr Grech and another four of the men present yesterday are testifying against the three priests, while another is still unsure whether to file charges. "My faith in men has been destroyed but that in God is still strong," one of the alleged victims said when asked whether the abuse affected his faith.

Television presenter Lou Bondì, who helped the men organise yesterday's press conference, called on Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano and President George Abela, who chairs the Commission for the Administration of Justice, to do their utmost so that the court case is concluded at the earliest.

Mr Bondì said he was informed that the three priests undergoing court proceedings - Fr Charles Pulis, Bro Joseph Bonnett and Fr Godwin Scerri - were no longer exercising their pastoral ministries in public. A fourth priest, who was also accused by a number of alleged victims but has not been charged in court, is believed to have gone to Italy. Questions sent to the Curia last week, asking whether the three priests are still practicing and if they have contact with children, have remained unanswered.

Mr Bondì said that, after seven years, the Curia's Response Team had still not finalised its case, after interviewing three of the alleged victims.

Mr Grech said the local law needed to change "today before tomorrow" so that the Church would be obliged to report any accusations of abuse it received to the police. "Not all victims speak up. We will continue hearing about them in years to come."

Mr Grech said although the men had intended to protest during the Pope's visit, they had now decided against it because they did not want to tarnish the short trip.

He also condemned the recent vandalism on a number of billboards, in which a Hitler-style moustache was painted on the pontiff's face and a bear associated with paedophilia stencilled on them. One billboard also had the word pedoflu (paedophile) written on it.