'Repentance and Sorrow', by Fr Joe Borg, Times of Malta, April 11, 2010

'Repentance and Sorrow'

By Fr Joe Borg
Times of Malta
April 11, 2010

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100411/religion/repentance-and-sorrow

I had promised myself not to write again about the subject of child abuse. The wild statements being made by some, such as that the Pope should be arrested, and the biased reporting of others made me comment on the subject, once more, in my regular blog (www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20100406/fr-joeborg/should-the-pope-be-arrested-or-forced-to-resign).

The attempt of a number of journalists to link Pope Benedict to cover-ups of abuse is a typical example of the kind of reporting when one first writes the conclusion and then makes the 'facts' fit the conclusion. I tried to follow in some detail and in different media what several correspondents were writing. The more I read the more I strengthen my opinion that Pope Benedict is the arch-enemy of the culture of silence, not its friend.

A careful analysis of the three cases - one in Germany and two in the US - that are being quoted as examples of malpractice by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger shows that they are nothing of the sort. He constantly fought abuse even when the abusers were very powerful people, such as the founder of the Legionaries of Christ.

How are child abuse reports being tackled by Appoġġ, the police and the Courts?

In my blog, I also extensively quoted from a recent editorial of The Tablet, arguing against the adoption of either a siege mentality or a generally hostile attitude towards the media.

I am today breaking my promise for the second time due to the strong statement on Thursday which came from the heart of our bishops. Their follow-up of the Pope's letter to the Church in Ireland is further evidence of the recognition of "the shame of the Church" when faced by these "criminal and sinful acts".

Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech do not mince their words. In the name of the Church in Malta, they declare their "grave sorrow and repentance towards all those who have been abused, towards all our Christian brothers who have been hurt, and towards Maltese society in general".

They strongly attack the culture of omertà. "In cases of such severity, we hereby appeal to all Christians to cooperate with the competent authorities, including the civil authorities. We reiterate that which the Church already stated in 1999: Christians are obliged to cooperate with the Church, rather than disguising facts or remaining silent, in order that this wound may be healed once and for all."

The bishops mention the structures that have been set up by the Church in Malta as far back as 1999 to fight the crime, Moreover, they promise more work for the future: "The Church in Malta continues to intensify its commitment towards battling these abuses."

I hope this firm commitment of the Church will be reciprocated by an equally serious commitment from the rest of society, as child abuse is a problem facing all society and is present in different sectors of our society. The selective coverage of the media has created a perception that this is just, or mainly, a Church problem, and has thus given abusers in other sectors of society the benefit of lack of due scrutiny. This is wrong.

Should not the media investigate, for example, how reports of child abuse are being tackled by Appoġġ, the police and the courts? Are these structures showing the level of alacrity and efficiency that is justly expected from the Church and in favour of which the Church has publicly committed itself?

The bishops' renewed commitment should now be followed by a due diligence review of present intra-Church structures and by a discussion on the pros and cons of adopting a policy of mandatory reporting even if such a system is not required by the State.

Contact: joseph.borg@um.edu.mt