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	Untimely Hesitation By Charles Flores Malta Independent January 16, 2011 http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=118712 Considering the bad press the Vatican and the Catholic Church have had to face and continue to face around the world with regard to the issue of paedophile priests, it is indeed strange to see the few Maltese victims of such horrendous acts being treated so shabbily. Our hopes soared when none other than Pope Benedict himself, during his visit to the island, made point of meeting them and tried to assure them of his and the Church's genuine concern. What has happened since then is an obvious attempt by someone somewhere in the Vatican, or elsewhere, who wants to apply the brakes to the Church's healing process. Many people were ready to forgive and forget once the Church gave the distinct impression that it was accepting the reality and eagerly looking to start a new chapter by admitting past shameful scandals – some people call them sins, as if it were just a matter of going to confession and seeking spiritual pardon – but the way things have developed since has only created more doubt. This untimely hesitation on the part of some Church authorities or hidden power brokers makes one even angrier. It was at first frustrating even getting some sort of response to the worldwide accusations, with the late Pope John Paul II seemingly more interested in keeping the affairs within the echoing corridors of the Vatican than facing up to the truth. Willingly or not, and no doubt hampered by his own actions when in charge of Vatican affairs before his election, Pope Benedict has since had to face more than just the music. It has been one, long, loud and strong boom of condemnation all over the Catholic world, from the US and the whole European continent to the two finally happily secularised islands of Ireland and Malta. It would be untruthful to say the Pope and many of his bishops did not finally react to the ever-increasing numbers of documented cases of paedophilia in Church organisations and institutions. A breath of fresh air seemed to be blowing blissfully through the Church and its many dioceses, including our very own of course. People, Catholics or not, could see there was general consternation within the Roman Catholic Church and, at least superficially, what seemed to be a very public show of determination to start the self-cleansing process through which the sordid perpetrators could be quickly and all too voluntarily transferred to face civil justice and their victims compensated. Perhaps we were expecting too much too soon. The Catholic Church is an ultra- conservative piece of cake. Very much like its political counterparts, it tends to stall, to hide and to sneak away from issues of embarrassment and/or which concern basic rights. Having determined many centuries ago, when even autocratic kings and queens had to bow their heads to its power, to be answerable to no one but itself, it is obvious that even in the 21st century there would be elements inside it who would instantly try to block any process of rejuvenation. After all, progress is not a word conservatives anywhere have in their vocabulary, alas. In the current hiatus over the issue, one is rightly bound to sympathise with the Maltese victims who, in a letter to Pope Benedict, have again expressed their frustration and recorded how upset (intentional use of soft terminology?) they all are about the fact that those who committed sexual abuse on them "are still serving in the priesthood". In their letter to the Pontiff, the Maltese victims asked why a protective screen seems to have suddenly descended upon the scandals and why the priests involved, who had originally admitted they abused them, have now switched to saying the allegations are false. While this new concern was being expressed, however, media reports claimed that the Vatican had instructed the Maltese Church to investigate the victims' claims through a tribunal especially appointed to carry out a judicial process. That, of course, is a judicial process carried out strictly within the local Church, but more important for the victims and the citizen in general is the judicial process that civil society rightly expects to see being activated in a fair but forthright manner. The Church is, of course, expected to cooperate with the justice system and not hamper it with refusals to provide documents and data that may be required, or to allow witnesses from within to give evidence that may finally lead to conviction and eventual punishment. The only way that this sad and bizarre episode can be brought to an end is for the Church to introduce, as it has promised, better systems of control and administration that will seriously and efficiently work against a possible recurrence of such sexual abuse of children in the care of the members of the clergy running its various organisations and institutions. It is fervantly hoped that the current hesitation on the part of some Vatican and Church authorities is merely a lull during which the wheels of action and decision are set in motion and not a rethinking inspired by churchmen with an acute disinclination for progress and social justice. A continued refusal to be open and transparent over the issue will only further reduce the credibility of a Church that, ironically, is so insistent about its own teachings, that demand instant and absolute credence. It is why many in the media have found it strange that even the civil process of such an important case is sadly being carried out within the shuttered ambience of our halls of justice where, on a normal day, it is so easy to allow public recognisance in cases involving, by comparison, mere misdemeanours. By the same yardstick, completly banning reportage of this case on some pretext or other is both dangerous and unfair.
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