MALTA
Malta Today
Jurgen Balzan 8 September 2015
The Maltese Church’s Safeguarding Commission has told MaltaToday that a Gozitan priest accused of abusing minors was defrocked by the Vatican in 2013 and the decision was reconfirmed earlier this year.
This came after the Gozo curia’s statement which said the priest, Dominic Camilleri, was informed of his dismissal in March of this year.
But despite the Vatican’s orders, this newspaper is informed that before MaltaToday’s revelations last week, Camilleri still celebrated mass in a private chapel, wore clerical clothing and presented himself in public as a priest.
MaltaToday last week reported that in 2013, the Vatican had upheld its original decision to defrock Camilleri, who was first investigated by the Maltese church over the sexual abuse of minors 12 years ago.
However, sources told MaltaToday that Gozo bishop Mario Grech had not yet carried out Camilleri’s dismissal adding that this could be connected to the shamed priest’s alleged threats to expose other cases of sexual abuse involving Gozitan priests.
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