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	Church "Repents" for Sex Abuse by Clergy By Kurt Sansone Times of Malta April 9, 2010 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100409/local/church-repents-for-sex-abuse-by-clergy 'The law has to protect children' The top ecclesiastical authorities yesterday expressed their "grave sorrow and repentance" towards all those who were sexually abused by the clergy or functionaries of the Church. The apology by Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech comes in the wake of calls by Lawrence Grech, who claims to have been sexually abused by priests in a Sta Venera orphanage, for Pope Benedict XVI to issue an apology when he visits next week. The bishops did not refer to any particular incident and insisted this was a moment of humiliation for the entire Church. "As a Church, we sympathise with the victims and feel the need for repentance for the sins of those who committed these abuses. Yet, we also suffer the humiliation of knowing that these crimes were committed by those who, in the name of the Church, were in duty-bound to nurture and protect these young people," the bishops said. They expressed "grave sorrow and repentance towards all those who have been abused, towards all Christian brothers who have been hurt and towards Maltese society". Mr Grech had also called on the Maltese Church to apologise for the suffering of orphans at the hands of priests, just like it formally apologised to child migrants who were abused when they were sent to Australia 50 years ago. He is one of 10 people testifying behind closed doors in a seven-year-old court case against three priests charged with sexual abuse of minors. The bishops appealed to all Christians to cooperate with the Church and the civil authorities to help stamp out abuse. They noted that, in 1999, the Maltese Church was among the first dioceses to set up a sexual abuse response team, headed by a retired judge, to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by the clergy, religious and pastoral operators. As the law stands now, it would be useless for the Church to report sexual abuse cases to the police because prosecution can only commence if a report is filed by the victim or the parents of a minor. Children's Commissioner Carmen Zammit was non-committal yesterday when asked whether the law should be changed but insisted that, "first and foremost", the law had to protect children. She pointed out that in some EU countries the Children's Commissioner had a legal set up to help children file judicial applications. "Malta does not permit me to do so but I am in discussions with the authorities on the matter," she added. When presenting her office's annual report to President George Abela yesterday, Ms Zammit said she had not yet discussed the issue of paedophile priests and child sex abuse claims with the Church. "The matter worries me a lot because priests are people who children are supposed to trust," she said. Contact: ksansone@timesofmalta.com
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