By Annaliza Borg
The Malta Independent
June 1, 2010
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=106925
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“The court has started to hear our case in weekly sessions rather than once every eight months,” a victim of sexual abuse by priests, Lawrence Grech, told The Malta Independent when contacted.
Mr Grech who, together with a number of other men, is alleging he has experienced abuse at the hands of priests while under their care in a children’s home, explained that things seem to have speeded up after their meeting with President George Abela, before the Pope’s visit last April.
“We are very satisfied,” Mr Grech said, in the name of the group of victims. “It seems a good amount of pressure was exerted from some authority.”
Yet his view on how the Church was handling the matter differed widely.
The Church did nothing more than organise the meeting with the Archbishop, Mr Grech said. Archbishop Paul Cremona had agreed to meet the group of victims following a request they made in the run-up to the Pope’s visit.
It is totally untrue that the Curia’s Response Team, appointed specifically to investigate such cases, was investigating, Mr Grech claimed. Otherwise it would have called us – the main witnesses, to testify over the past seven years, he said.
“When we pointed out the matter to Mgr Cremona, he seemed shocked,” he added. “But things did not move from then”.
The Pope had decided to meet them due to the pressure that resulted after their story was carried in the media in all four corners of the world, Mr Grech said.
“Following that, we have not even received a photo of our meeting with the Pope,” he said.
The Malta Independent has sent a set of questions to the Archbishop’s Curia asking whether it could confirm or deny the matter. It was also asked for a breakdown of events and action its response team has taken.
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In a curt reply, the Curia said: “With regards to your questions, please note that it is not our practice to speak about individual cases. Persons who are directly involved in alleged cases of abuse are to contact the Response Team for further details on their case”.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has also questioned the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry (MJHA) regarding acceptable time frames for court cases in terms of the law.
“According to our laws, cases should be decided as expeditiously as possible. But every case has its particular facets,” it replied.
During Pope Benedict’s arrival ceremony, President George Abela declared that the Catholic Church remains committed to safeguarding children and all vulnerable people and to seeing that there is no hiding place for those who seek to do harm.
“It is therefore the Church’s and even the state’s duty to work hand in hand to issue directives and enact legislation so that effective, transparent mechanisms are set-up together with harmonised and expeditious procedures in order to curb cases of abuse so that justice will not only be done but be seen to be done...”
“President Abela’s words remind the public of the speech from the throne at the start of this legislature, on 10 May, 2008, when the then President Eddie Fenech Adami had said: ‘The government will continue strengthening the security of our citizens by taking steps that will prevent and control crime and the breaking of our laws,’” MJHA said quoting the former President. “Among the measures that the government will take is the setting up of a DNA laboratory, the introduction of electronic tagging on persons accused of serious crimes, and the setting up of a register of persons who are found guilty of sexual offences.
“This ministry is well on course to deliver these measures,” it remarked.
The Chamber of Advocates was also contacted regarding the acceptable duration of court cases.
“Once the case for the prosecution is closed, there are no time limits set within which the defence has to close its brief. Notwithstanding, our courts have always done what is physically possible to avoid unnecessary delays…,” said Dr Edward Gatt, on behalf of the chamber.
Meanwhile, it believed that individuals accused of sexual crimes should be always brought to justice under arrest.
“Once bail is granted to the accused, special bail conditions ought to be introduced and ordered so as to monitor the behaviour of the person (or persons) facing charges.”
It also asserted that all parties involved; prosecution, defence and the judiciary should see that in all criminal proceedings, not just sexual offences, delaying tactics and unnecessary adjournments, be avoided as much as possible.
The duration of a court case is relative to the various forces and circumstances involved, said lawyer Leslie Cuschieri. He referred to the 1988 Lockerbie case, which dragged for years but nobody complained the time frame was unacceptable because the particular circumstances of a case may make it reasonable for it to be prolonged. Yet he noted that adjudicators are somewhat pressured from “above” to give particular attention to cases that take over five years.
He suggested more awareness at schools, youth centres and over the media, as a measure of prevention. Dr Cuschieri also believed more manpower over the whole spectrum would help in handling complaints.
Contact: annaliza@independent.com.mt
Paedophile priests ‘will burn
in Hell’ says Vatican’s top sex abuse prosecutor
Paedophile priests face the prospect of burning in Hell for ever, according to the Vatican’s top prosecutor dealing with sex abuse cases.
Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the promoter of justice within the Vatican’s powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was speaking at a prayer service for the victims of abuse.
He told priests gathered at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City: “It would be better for them if their crimes were their cause of death in this life because for them eternal damnation in the fires of Hell will be greater.”
The Vatican’s investigator in the Church’s paedophilia scandal led prayers at St Peter’s Basilica for victims as well as priests who abused them.
The service was organised by seminary students in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s March letter to Irish bishops chastising them for errors over abuse.
The Vatican has been rocked by a series of abuse cases in Ireland, America, Germany and Austria. And earlier this year Monsignor Scicluna said that since 2001 he has dealt with 3,000 abuse cases dating back 50 years.
Last week, at a meeting of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco accepted it was ‘possible’ that sex abuse by the clergy might have been covered up in Italy.
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