MALTA
The Times of Malta
October 10, 2018
By Philip Leone Ganado
The Church Safeguarding Commission found and referred to the police three substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors last year, according to the commission’s annual report.
In all three cases, the commission imposed restrictions on the pastoral activities that could be carried out by the perpetrators – two priests and a layperson – as a precautionary measure.
The report states that another 12 allegations of abuse of minors are still being assessed, while 16 were found to be false, could not be proven, or were found not to concern abuse.
The commission also assessed 12 complaints concerning vulnerable adults, none of which were found to be substantiated. Three allegations are still being assessed.
Commission head Andrew Azzopardi said on Wednesday that while sexual abuse was not exclusively a Church problem, the Church had to take responsibility for the “serious, sometimes irreparable, harm” perpetrated by some of its members.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.