MALTA
Malta Today
I have been entrusted by Bishop Nikol G. Cauchi to clarify that the report on the anonymous email which appeared in MaltaToday, 22 January 2006, contains several false allegations about the bishop’s actions.
He categorically denies that at any time, seminarians known to be paedophiles where admitted to the Gozo Seminary, and never has the bishop accepted this sort of candidate against the advise of the rector, as has been alleged in the report.
It is not true that the Church in Gozo did not take any action, when there were serious accusations about the sexual abuse that was reported.
When anyone reported accusations on such cases to the ecclesiastical authorities these were advised to refer the case to the Response Team which was established to investigate what would have happened. However nobody was kept from taking action or any other measure as permitted by the law.
With respect to the case mentioned in the e-mail, the normal procedures were followed according to the directives of the Congregation of Rome.
Rev. Anton Refalo,
PRO – Gozo Curia