BishopAccountability.org
	Updated: Archbishop Apologises in Face to Face Meeting with Victims Times of Malta August 12, 2011 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110812/local/archbishop-apologises-in-face-to-face-meeting-with-victims.379962 A meeting to discuss financial compensation by the Church to child abuse victims will be held next Wednesday between church officials and Patrick Valentino, the lawyer representing victims. Eight of the victims of sex abuse by two priests sentenced jointly to 11 years in prison last week this morning met Archbishop Paul Cremona in a meeting which lasted just over an hour. Speaking after the meeting, a visibly moved Archbishop said he apologised to the victims and prayed with them to help them get over their difficult period. Archbishop said there was a sense of shame that the abuse took place in a home that belonged to the church and the abusers were priests. He expressed a deep apology for what happened and for the length it took response team to investigate the cases. During the meeting the Archbishop also spoke of efforts to reform the way allegations of abuse are investigated by the Church, including changing the set-up of the Response Team. Dr Valentino said the Church intended to set up two investigative committees. Victim Lawrence Grech described the meeting as a positive one and said that the Archbishop had nothing to apologise for, as he had done nothing to the victims. The victims wanted an apology from their abusers, he said. Asked about the procedures against Fr Conrad Sciberras, a fourth priest who has not yet been brought to justice, Dr Valentino confirmed that criminal proceedings could not be taken as they were time-barred. However, the Archbishop confirmed that the response team had concluded its investigations about Fr Sciberras and the matter was also investigated by a tribunal. He said the case had been passed on to the Vatican for its final decision. The meeting discussed matters which went beyond the abuse, including whether there were structures available in the country to help 18-year-olds coming out of homes. Speaking on the steps of the Archbishop's residence in Attard, the victims underlined the need for more fostering and structures to prevent 18-year-olds who were abandoned by their parents from ending up homeless. The Archbishop said that although he understood the attention on the case, he appealed to the media to widen its focus to child abuse in general because other children were also suffering. GOZO BISHOP CLARIFIES POSITION In a statement this afternoon, Gozo bishop Mario Grech clarified that he has not been a member of the Church Response Team since he became a bishop. He said he was not a member of the response team in the 2003 case but he was on the team when the case was presented again. Just weeks before Carmelo Pulis, one of the prieses, was charged in court back in 2003, the response team had dismissed the allegations against him. A second inquiry was then launched by the response team. In the course of this second inquiry Bishop Grech resigned from his post in November 2005 when he was nominated bishop.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.