Bishop ‘shocked’ on Xarabank...

Malta Independent
November 1, 2014

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-01/local-news/Bishop-shocked-on-Xarabank-TMI-has-evidence-he-had-documents-on-priest-sexual-abuse-case-in-2013-6736124790

Bishop ‘shocked’ on Xarabank: TMI has evidence he had documents on priest sexual abuse case in 2013

Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna said on Xarabank on Friday that he learnt about the case involving an alleged sexual abuse by Dominican priest Fr Charles Fenech from the media, but The Malta Independent can reveal that Mgr Scicluna was informed about it in January 2013.

The bishop later sent a statement in which he explained his position. The Curia had not reacted to an earlier report (click here) in which the bishop is quoted as saying that he learnt of the case from the media. It was only when this portal said it had documents that show the bishop knew abour the case that a press statement was issued.

On Friday's Xarabank, Mgr Scicluna said it had been a shock for him to learn from the media this week that a colleague was in such a predicament.

But a document in possession of The Malta Independent shows that Mgr Scicluna received information about the case nearly two years ago.

A statement highlighting the case was sent to Mgr Scicluna in January 2013, and the person who sent it confirmed with Mgr Scicluna that he (the bishop) had received it.

A month later, the same document was also sent to the Vatican.

In a reply to this story, the Curia said that when Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, Apostolic Administrator, was expressing his shock during Xarabank at learning about the case through the media, he was referring to the criminal case filed before the Courts and the fact that the priest had not appeared in Court on three occasions, an action by the priest for which Bishop Scicluna expressed his anger. Since the matter was being investigated by the Response Team, there could be no doubt that the Church authorities, including Bishop Scicluna, knew about the allegation, but they had to wait for the outcome of the Response Team investigation before taking any action. During Xarabank, the Bishop himself referred to this investigation and described its delay as unacceptable.

Moreover, Bishop Scicluna emphasised that hiding such cases is shameful and appealed to all those who had any information to report it to the relevant authorities.

As prosecutor for the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Bishop Scicluna had spent more than a decade fighting all forms of sexual abuse. He is determined to do the same in Malta.