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	Allegations Founded, Church Tells Sexual Abuse Victims By Scott Grech Malta Independent October 30, 2010 http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=114563 The victims who claim they were sexually abused by priests as they were growing up at St Joseph's Home in Sta Venera have been notified by the local Church that their allegations were founded, the victims said in a statement yesterday. Some of the 11 men involved will address a press conference today to further elaborate on the news, after they were told that their case will now be sent to the Vatican for adjudication. Back in April one of the victims, Lawrence Grech, who often acted as the spokesperson on behalf of the other 10 men, the majority of whom have never shown their face in public, demanded an apology from the Church at a press conference prior to the Pope's 26-hour visit to Malta that month. "We are not after some form of vendetta against the Church or Pope Benedict XVI, what we merely want is justice to finally put to a close the darkest chapter of our lives," he had said, with tears in his eyes. It was only after stories by Mr Grech and two other men broke on Bondiplus and this newspaper in 2003 that the police started taking their claims of sexual abuse by priests seriously. The priests behind the cases of the alleged sexual abuse are Fr Charles Pulis, Bro Joseph Bonnett and Fr Godwin Scerri. Fr Conrad Sciberras, who also stood accused, has since fled to Italy and cannot be found. Even though court proceedings had started shortly after their story broke in 2003, they were moving at "a snail's pace, which prolonged our search for justice," Mr Grech had said at the time. After their conference in April, the victims met Archbishop Paul Cremona who, on behalf of the Church, apologised for the victims' turbulent past, and later met Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Malta on 18 April. Mr Grech had described the meeting as extraordinary and out of this world, but remarked that it was not fair that Pope Benedict XVI was being made to face the music for the mistakes that others had made before him. The spokesperson for the Vatican had told the press after the meeting that the Pope "was deeply moved and prayed with the victims" during the meeting, which had taken place at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rabat.
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