Just one of the 27 complaints forwarded to the Church’s Safeguarding Commission last year was substantiated, statistics released today revealed.The commission investigates any cases of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect by members of the Church, including clergy and lay people.

The other concluded cases either not proven or the allegations were false, were malicious in intent, or did not involve minors.

Until last December, seven cases were undergoing an assessment and in five cases, the persons concerned had their pastoral activity restricted.

The government should set up an authority to protect minors and vulnerable adults, the Church's Safeguarding Commission has recommended.

The authority would establish a structure to share information between organisations and tasked with the revision of existing procedures through which the names of perpetrators are placed in the Register for the Protection of Minors.

Addressing a news conference at the Curia, Andrew Azzopardi, the head of the Safeguarding Commission said that two thirds of reported complaints involving minors were concluded in less than six months.