MALTA
Malta Independent
The request for compensation by 10 victims of clerical abuse at the St Joseph Home in Santa Venera is time-barred, according to the lawyer of the religious order – the Missionary Society of Saint Paul – that runs the home.
The first hearing in the case filed by the 10 men against the two former priests convicted of abuse – Charles Pulis and Godwin Scerri – the MSSP, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta and the government was held this morning in front of Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco.
The MSSP’s lawyer, Ray Zammit, filed a request for the entire proceedings to be held behind closed doors, a request which was backed by lawyers representing the Malta Archdiocese and the government. The two former priests, who are currently serving prison terms, had no lawyer representing them, prompting Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco to warn that this was a serious case and that legal assistance was very much required.
But the lawyers representing the 10 abuse victims, Franco Vassallo and Patrick Valentino, objected to the request, with the former stating that it was not in the interest of justice. He added that if anything, it should be the victims who should make such a request, and not the perpetrators.
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