Omerta on Paedophilia Is Not in the Best Interest of Children- Minister Dalli

Malta Independent
April 3, 2014

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-03/news/omerta-on-paedophilia-is-not-in-the-best-interest-of-children-minister-dalli-4494688257/


Minister Helena Dalli today said that the two priests mentioned by the Curia were “taken to court and subsequently jailed” because the victims reported the crime to the police.

The minister was reacting to a Curia statement which was issued in reaction to the minister’s own comments in Parliament on Wednesday.

The Curia said that the minister had said that paedophile priests should be made to answer for their actions before the Civil Courts like all other men.

The Curia said this was already being done and the media had given great publicity to the recent case where two priests were taken to court and subsequently jailed.

The fact was that a priest was judged by the Church Tribunal, which could strip him of the priesthood, and the Courts, the Curia said.

“The proceedings before the Church do not replace the state’s proceedings,” the Curia stressed.

In her statement, Dr Dalli said the point she was was making in Parliament was about when no such report is made by the victim. In these cases, the Curia, although privy to information regarding sex abuse by priests, did not report to the police. The Minister was quoting from an article she wrote in 2010:“retired Judge Victor Caruana Colombo said that "it would be useless for the Church to report priests involved in sexual abuse cases to the police because no criminal action could be taken without the victim's consent". Nothing is written in stone.

That used to be the case with domestic violence too, until we changed it. The police have to prosecute once they have a report even if submitted by neighbours or relatives. Abuse that takes place in the privacy of the home is not exempt from criminal prosecution once exposed. The identity of the victim can be protected. Evidence can be heard behind closed doors. The victim need not face the perpetrator; IT makes video-evidencing possible.

Thus, if the Catholic Church really wanted to attack the child abuse cancer more than it wanted to protect its priests there are ways of prosecuting perpetrators criminally without harming victims.

Why should it be acceptable that a priest child abuser is treated differently from a lay one? Is it just, for the former to be defrocked while the latter is sent to jail for the same crime? Why is the information regarding the cases of priest paedophiles not handed over to the police?

In an interview given by Mgr Charles J. Scicluna, the Vatican's chief sex abuse "prosecutor" points out: "In some countries with an Anglo-Saxon legal culture, but also in France, the bishops - if they become aware of crimes committed by their priests outside of the seal of the sacrament of confession - are required to report them to the civil authorities... our position in these cases is to respect the law."