Times of Malta
August 9, 2011
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110809/local/Church-mum-on-fresh-questions-about-priests-sex-abuse-case.379420
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| Turning up outside the Archbishop’s residence in Attard failed to yield any new replies from the Church. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi |
The Times yesterday tried to speak to the Archbishop in Attard on the priests’ sex abuse case but was told Mgr Paul Cremona was at a meeting and could not meet at any time.
The Times was then directed to the Curia’s public relations officer but the questions sent remain unanswered. In fact, several press inquiries have been met with complete silence. Calls, text messages and e-mails sent to the Curia elicited no replies.
On Wednesday, a day after the Magistrates’ Court sentenced two priests for a total of 11 years in prison for sexually abusing boys in their care, the Church in Malta issued a 124-word statement expressing sorrow and saying the Archbishop planned to meet the victims again shortly to personally ask for forgiveness.
The Church came under strong criticism by the Vatican’s chief prosecutor, Mgr Charles Scicluna, on the way it handled the abuse cases. Mgr Scicluna described the Church’s investigations as “never-ending” and “ridiculous”, saying it was his prod that finally got things going.
He also criticised Judge Victor Caruana Colombo, who headed the Church’s Response Team, saying he did not fully understand that his role was to identify whether the allegations were founded, not whether the priests were innocent or guilty.
Asked on Sunday what the Church was doing to improve the way possible victims of abuse would be dealt with, a Curia spokesman said the Archdiocese and the Major Religious Superiors had gone through an evaluation of the whole process of investigation. The spokesman noted that the approval of the Vatican authorities would be needed before making such changes.
However, fresh questions put to the Church, including whether it still had confidence in Judge Caruana Colombo also after the court found that his Response Team had summarily cleared one of the two priests sentenced, remain unanswered.
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