BishopAccountability.org
	Gozo Priest Allegations Malta Today January 29, 2006 http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/01/29/l2.html I have been entrusted by Bishop Nikol G. Cauchi to clarify that the report on the anonymous email which appeared in MaltaToday, 22 January 2006, contains several false allegations about the bishop's actions. He categorically denies that at any time, seminarians known to be paedophiles where admitted to the Gozo Seminary, and never has the bishop accepted this sort of candidate against the advise of the rector, as has been alleged in the report. It is not true that the Church in Gozo did not take any action, when there were serious accusations about the sexual abuse that was reported. When anyone reported accusations on such cases to the ecclesiastical authorities these were advised to refer the case to the Response Team which was established to investigate what would have happened. However nobody was kept from taking action or any other measure as permitted by the law. With respect to the case mentioned in the e-mail, the normal procedures were followed according to the directives of the Congregation of Rome. Rev. Anton Refalo, PRO – Gozo Curia I make reference to the report appearing in Maltatoday the 22 January 2006 on your front page where you mentioned me in my role as archpriest of the Nadur parish. I am informing you that contrary to what was alleged in the article, the priest who went abroad and left the parish was never the director of altar boys or was in any way entrusted with the altar boys of the parish. Apart from this you quoted from an anonymous email where it was indicated that at some occasion I had told parents who lodged a complaint about abuse to not say anything so as not to harm the Church. This is absolutely not true because in occasions like these I always took the complaint seriously and as I am obliged I refer it to my superiors. I repeat that the email you referred to and was circulated to various people by an anonymous person contains many false allegations intended to aggravate matters. Mgr Salvu Muscat Archpriest, Nadur
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