Fr Charles and the Church

By Stephen Calleja
Malta Independent
November 3, 2014

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-03/blogs-opinions/Fr-Charles-and-the-Church-6736124843

Those of you who know a little bit of Church history were not surprised when they watched the much-acclaimed television series The Borgias, which recounts the story of the most notorious pope, Alexander VI. Although the producers at times did exaggerate to add some more drama to the show, the series is based on facts that really happened - a pope with a wife and a mistress; four children, one of whom was appointed a Cardinal, and a life of scheming and luxury, far from spirituality. This pope's life and times were even captured by Mario Puzo, well-known for "The Godfather", in another famous book called "The Family".  It is no wonder that the word Borgia is now associated with nepotism and libertinism.

The Church has evolved since those times, but is still made up of humans, and humans make mistakes. It is always wrong to put everyone in the same basket. If one priest steps out of line, it does not mean that all priests are behaving improperly. Just as much as what happened in the News of the World some years back does not mean that all editors around the world are unethical or worse.

But the story that has emerged these past few days, since The Malta Independent named Fr Charles Fenech as facing court charges on alleged sexual abuse, has once again thrown bad light on what should be an exemplary institution. I'm not saying that what Fr Charles Fenech allegedly did is in any way comparable to what Pope Alexander did; far from it, but it goes without saying that the alleged abuse committed by Fr Charles is not something that should make him proud.

After two other priests were involved in a highly publicised scandal involving children a few years ago, this time round a priest who was already well-known to the public because of his involvement in Kerygma volleyball marathons has been linked to another scandal that is rocking the local Curia.

What has been uncovered so far raises more suspicions on why Mgr Paul Cremona, himself a Dominican friar like Fr Fenech, resigned from the post of Archbishop a few weeks back. It also adds to the speculation on why the Kerygma volleyball marathon was stopped so suddenly, with stories of how it was turning into an occasion for more than just aces and spikes now taking on a new meaning.

People who are accused of doing something are innocent until their guilt is proven. But what stands out is the Church's inability to deal with such cases as well as shortcomings in the justice system.

To start with, having such a case before what is known as the Church's Response team for more than eight years is an injustice in itself, for the victim, for the priest and for the Church in general. Such matters should be tackled more expeditiously.

Secondly, Fr Fenech was stripped of his duties as a priest only when his name was made public. If the Dominican Priory, as well as the Church in general, wanted to show it means business it should have taken such a step immediately after the complaint was filed, and not wait until it becomes public knowledge.

Thirdly, the fact that someone tried to buy this particular victim's silence is, to me, an admission that something did take place. This news organisation never said it was Mgr Cremona who contacted the victim to offer her money, so any attempt to discredit our story from other quarters falls flat.

Fourthly, that the priest in question failed to turn up in the Courts of Law on three separate occasions exposes failure in our justice system too. I wonder if the courts would have been so lenient if the person involved was not so high-profile.

Fifthly, there is still a huge grey area when it comes to what the Church should do when it receives complaints about improper behaviour by priests. Officially, it is said that the Church is obliged to pass on information to the police, but whether this really happens is not so clear. Perhaps victims should go straight to the police with their complaints, rather than resorting to the Church authorities.