The Maltese Catholic Church yesterday formally apologised to child migrants who had been abused when they were sent to Australia 50 years ago.

"I would like to express all my repentance for all the suffering the children underwent when they were sent to another country; the intentions might have been good but not implemented," Archbishop Paul Cremona said.

Speaking at the opening of a convention of Maltese who lived abroad, the Archbishop echoed an apology made last week in Parliament by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and endorsed by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.

Over 300 Maltese children were sent Down Under within a scheme launched by the Australian government. The Child Migrants Programme, which ended 40 years ago, shipped an estimated 150,000 destitute children to a "better life" in Commonwealth countries such as Australia and Canada but many ended up in institutions or as farm labourers.

The scheme, which ran to the 1960s, had left many people emotionally scarred. It was aimed at securing the children a better education and a brighter future.

But, unfortunately, not all went as planned and some of the children were exploited for cheap labour and a number of them suffered physical and sexual abuse.

Mgr Cremona said one should open one's hearts to those who escaped to Malta from their countries and were also suffering. "Using the love we have for our homeland, we should help those who need help."

Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg announced at the conference that the government was looking into setting up a Maltese institute to promote culture, language and traditions abroad.

"There is no doubt that Malta must promote everything that is Maltese: the teaching of the Maltese language, folklore, traditions, our way of life, our cultural heritage," he said. Malta had to emulate what other countries did and set up an institute that would promote Maltese culture abroad, he added. This would be done through cooperation between the tourism, culture, education and foreign affairs ministries so as to ensure an efficient use of human and financial resources.

The convention was also addressed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.

"I wanted to come and visit Malta again. It will always be my home," a Maltese woman living in Australia said. She was among the Maltese emigrants attending the opening of the convention.

Others, who were second-generation Maltese, took the opportunity to come over to visit their parents' homeland. "I always heard so much about Malta and now I will see all the places my parents told me about," a young Maltese Australian said.

First held in 1968, the conference was held again 32 years later in 2000.

Over 100 delegates from five continents will take part in the six-day conference, which ends on Saturday.