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	Gozo Bishop's Apology Accepted by Many, but Others Still Doubt Malta Independent April 6, 2008 http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=67293 Gozo Bishop Mario Grech asked for forgiveness on Friday after a committee investigating claims of physical and psychological abuse at Lourdes Home, run by the Dominican sisters, found that "inadmissible behaviour involving minors" had taken place. In a short statement titled "I ask for forgiveness", Msgr Grech explained that the commission set up by the Curia had reached "the conclusion that in some particular cases, there had been inadmissible behaviour involving minors that should have never taken place". Furthermore, he added, the commission also presented "some recommendations, which will ensure that such abuses would never happen again". The Gozo Curia issued the bishop's statement and referred to some other statements he made after The Malta Independent on Sunday had, earlier in the day, sent an e-mail to the Gozo Curia asking for information on the case. It reminded the Curia that on 23 April 2006 the same paper had run a story regarding alleged abuse at the home. Bishop Grech had then appointed a commission and gave it two months to report back. The paper told the Curia that two years had almost passed and no information had been issued. The Curia replied that a statement would be issued later on in the day. The bishop's apology was accepted by many who saw it as a sign of new times but others still doubted. People who wrote in to The Times blog asked why did the bishop not report the persons guilty of abuse to the police. The blog was removed from The Times website later in the day. Readers who wrote to this paper asked why the report was not made public, what exactly is being done to help the victims and what were the recommendations of the commission. Comments were also made regarding other alleged cases of abuse that took place in Malta. Some readers asked at what stage the court proceedings regarding Fr Louis Scerri and his brother Godfrey are as well as the proceedings regarding alleged abuse at St Joseph Home in Sta Venera. It was also claimed that Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca told a person in June 2006 that Fr Scerri's file had been sent to the Vatican and that he had been removed from the priesthood for more than a year. Asked why he had never issued a press release to inform the public, and whether informing parents of children of possible danger is not of prime importance, he replied he had sought top advice. Fr Scerri's case has been in court for nine whole years. Other callers have demanded that Archbishop Paul Cremona makes public the names of priests who have been removed from the priesthood because of child abuse and their whereabouts.
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