Times of Malta
June 16, 2010
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100516/local/abuse-priests-still-barred-from-carrying-out-duties
The priests allegedly involved in sexual abuse at St Joseph's Home in St Venera are still barred from carrying out ministerial duties, pending the outcome of the case against them.
The priests charged with abusing boys in the 1980s and 1990s were segregated from children and prohibited from carrying out priesthood duties in public when the claims surfaced in 1993.
Fr Louis Mallia, Regional Superior of the Missionary Society of St Paul, told The Sunday Times the society had taken the allegations "very seriously", even though none of the men had yet been found guilty. He said the priests were transferred "away from children within hours of receiving the claims".
Fr Mallia, who was serving as assistant superior when the alleged crimes took place, said: "I found out about this story at my surprise birthday party in the summer of 2003. My superior, Fr Bernard, called to inform me about it. I spoke to one of the alleged victims and he named a priest - telling me this clergyman did not deserve to be at the home."
Within hours, the priest was transferred from St Joseph's Home and sent to St Agatha's Convent in Rabat, in a section reserved for retired priests.
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"We were all in shock. Our mission is to look after children and we could not understand how something like this could have happened."
He said the MSSP reported the allegations to the Curia's Response Team, as they were bound to do, before other alleged victims came forward and made claims about another three priests.
"We tackled the issue in the best way possible. We reported the cases and took a step back to let justice take its own course. We issued an internal document banning the priests from practising ministerial duties in public, which includes celebrating Mass, hearing confession and administering the Holy Eucharist," he said.
Fr Mallia spoke of a difficult seven years, contemplating the veracity of the claims, while living under the black cloud hovering over the society.
"We seek justice in the best interest of the children we look after, of the alleged victims, of the alleged abusers... and the MSSP," he said.
The case was given prominence in the media, especially in the run-up of Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to Malta.
"These priests were given a trial by the media, and the general public has unfortunately already reached a conclusion on whether they are guilty or not. They have already been judged."
In this case, he said, it was like the notion of innocent until proven guilty "was inverted to guilty until proven innocent". He said the media coverage was prejudicial.
Fr Mallia, affectionately known at the home as Fr Ġiġi, explained that since 2003 the screening process within the MSSP and the home had increased considerably during the 10-year preparation process leading to priesthood.
He said, however, that this scandal had not had an adverse impact on the intake of priests, adding that several people had joined the order since 2003. Nor had it discouraged children from taking up residence in the home - in fact, there are 20 boys on the waiting list.
With regard to the fourth priest, who was believed to have fled to Italy, Fr Mallia said police could not take criminal action against him because the case was timebarred, but the Curia's Response Team was still probing the case.
Fr Mallia said the other implicated priests were living "in waiting", and often told him they hoped the case would be resolved as soon possible. They are not receiving any psychological help.
"We cannot do much until the judgment. We are waiting for justice to take its natural course, although it has already been marred by the trial of the media," he said.
On the meeting between the alleged victims and the Pope, Fr Mallia said this had shown the human aspect of a Pontiff "who was ready to listen" to those who are claiming clerical abuse.
However, he disagreed with the Vatican's decision, whether intentional or not, to refer to the men making the claims as 'victims' rather than 'alleged victims'.
St Joseph's Home director Fr Frankie Cini explained that a lot had been done to "weed out people who could potentially harm children".
Work on this "security aspect" had started long before the claims surfaced in 2003, "but these cases made their introduction more urgent".
He said the home had introduced a strict and detailed code of conduct for both workers as well as the children themselves.
The code, for example, bars one-on-one visits, and ensures there is mandatory supervision, even on the people who are caring for the children, by an external supervisor.
"Humans make mistakes and that is why you have to have a solid structure to act, protect and pre-empt. We had to self-regulate and could not wait for any verdicts or decisions," he said.
He explained there are separate living quarters for the two priests who live at the home - himself and Fr Mallia - adding that although the door is often open, the boys know there are "out of bounds" areas.
However, the manner in which children are shown affection has changed over the years, Fr Cini said.
"Children miss the affection of their parents and crave a hug and a kiss. How do we, and the care and social workers, do that? Where is the line we cannot cross? This is all in the code of conduct," he said.
St Joseph Home, St Venera
Since its inception in 1888, the home has hosted more than 2,300 children who had found themselves in difficult family circumstances.
At present, there are 17 boys at the home, aged between eight and 18.
The boys have round-the-clock supervision, with help provided for their homework and studies, as well as constant care from social workers and other staff, which total 16.
The home costs around €350,000 a year to run, 66 per cent of which is spent on wages alone.
Most of the money comes from charity, which includes a share from the upcoming annual Oħloq Tbissima campaign, as well as from social benefits such as children's allowances.
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