By Scott Grech
Malta Independent
April 13, 2010
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=104482
On behalf of 10 men allegedly abused by priests, Lawrence Grech said in press conference yesterday that he is not after some form of vendetta against the Church or the Pope, but is merely seeking justice to finally put to a close "the darkest chapter of his life".
Besides Mr Grech, who was flanked by TV presenter Lou Bondi, five of the alleged abuse victims were also present yesterday, all wearing white t-shirts with the word 'Justice' printed on the back and front and all taking the time to speak of their past ordeals. Although he has spoken out in public before, the ordeal of doing so brings tears to his eyes, and the eyes of those who listen, and the eyes of those on whose behalf he spoke. In all probability, this article will also bring tears to the eyes of the reader.
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It was back in 2003 that cases of long-running sexual abuse at the St Joseph's Institute in Sta Venera, were revealed in public. Standing accused are Fr Charles Pulis, Bro Joseph Bonnett and Fr Godwin Scerri. Fr Conrad Sciberras, who also stands accused, has since fled to Italy and cannot be found.
It was only after stories by Lawrence Grech and two other men broke on Bondiplus and this newspaper in 2003 that the police started taking their reports seriously. Even though court proceedings have started against the three accused, they are moving at "a snail's pace, which is prolonging our search for justice in the process," stated Mr Grech.
"We are not holding what happened in our lives against the Maltese Church, or against the Pope himself, and we do not condone the acts of vandalism that have taken place on billboards, which is putting a stain on the arrival of the Pope to Malta this coming weekend. We will neither hold a protest on the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, for we are not seeking to tarnish the Church's reputation.
"On the other hand, we continue to suffer in silence, as if it us who have committed deplorable acts of abuse, and not the priests," said Mr Grech.
However, Mr Grech said that besides justice, he and the other abuse victims are privately requesting a meeting with Archbishop Paul Cremona and Mons Carmel Scicluna, with the latter forming part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, so that they could help them emerge out of their ordeal.
Shortly after yesterday's conference, Archbishop Cremona released a statement agreeing to meet the alleged victims.
"However, we would also like to briefly meet Pope Benedict XVI, as it was he himself who expressed his wish to meet more abuse victims, while we call on the Pope to publicly condemn all forms of abuse by members of the Maltese Church during his short stay next weekend," said Mr Grech.
Prolonged hearings
Since court proceedings began in 2003, hearings have taken place behind closed doors and the courts have banned the release of case documents, meaning that testimony from the accused has not been published in Malta.
After not receiving any replies into the matter since 2003 from the Curia's response team, Mr Grech said that the victims have been left with no option but to appeal to Chief Justice Vincent de Gaetano and the Chairman of the Justice Administration Commission, who is currently also the President of the Republic, George Abela.
The Curia released a statement yesterday saying that it treats cases of alleged abuse very seriously, and has issued sentences which have imposed restrictions on the priests in question, banning them from any pastoral activity, and not allowing them to work with minors and to be constantly subject to supervision.
Mr Grech said that his first experience of being abused was when one of the priests accused took the boys of the convent out for a swim.
"As some of us found difficulty in swimming, he would tell us to lean on him. From there, he would stick his hand in our swimming trunks and grope our private parts," said Mr Grech, who at this stage broke into tears.
Matters were compounded, added Mr Grech, when he reported these incidents to another priest, who promised to look into the matter with urgency.
"However, some time later, this other priest started entering our room on a frequent basis, often putting us to sleep or waking us up. It was not the first time that he would fondle and caress me, touch my private parts and then a mere half an hour later you would find him celebrating Mass in front of a whole congregation.
"Another priest would also make believe that he was a doctor, and would instruct us to strip naked whenever he felt like so that he could see our bodies and touch us in certain areas. Being of a young age, and having already suffered a lot in our lives, we refrained from disagreeing with their orders to prevent further trouble, and as a result always obeyed instructions," said Mr Grech.
Others speak up
The five other men who were present yesterday also touched upon their experiences in the orphanage.
One, who is now married with children, said that he has nothing to hide, but refuses to speak in public to protect the identity of his children.
"On one particular occasion, I was showered with saliva after one of the priests kissed me all over. He would also order me to sit on his lap, naked, and would start to hit me with a wooden stick in the lower end of my back. On another day he called me while I was playing football with my friends, ushering me to his office safe in the knowledge that he had me all for himself as all others were out in the football field".
It was those who refused to take part, said Lawrence Grech, that suffered the worst, and who were severely punished physically, but those who obeyed were rewarded even after they left the orphanage, "and to keep quiet were also given financial rewards".
It was only after sharing his experiences with another abuse victim from the same orphanage that Mr Grech decided to come out in public and share his experience. He remains convinced, he said strongly yesterday, "that there are others more like me who went through the same experiences but are not speaking up", before adding that he is currently on the verge of completing a book to narrate his ordeals and encourage others suffering in silence worldwide to put such experiences to rest and move on with their lives.
Asked what he defines by justice, Mr Grech replied that: "We are not condemning all priests or those who, in some way or another, form part of the Church. What we want is for these four persons to receive the punishment they deserve as a matter of morality, but the case will never draw to a close if court sittings are being constantly adjourned".
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