MALTA
Times of Malta
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 by
Juan Ameen
The Curia has denied a claim that it abandoned 11 victims of priest abuse, saying they had been contacted by the Missionary Society of St Paul and invited to approach it for help.
The MSSP, under whose care the men lived at St Joseph’s Home in Santa Venera about 20 years ago, contacted the victims in writing in October 2011, a spokesman for the Curia said.
This was immediately after the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith published its decision about their cases.
“In fact, a number of those involved approached the society and are still receiving help,” the spokesman added.
Lawrence Grech, one of the victims, had told The Times he had expected to be approached by the Therapeutic Evaluation Board, which was set up by the Church last October and tasked with directing victims of clerical sexual abuse to therapy. None of the 11 men had been approached, he claimed.
The spokesman said that the Church had “more than once” publicly invited past victims to come forward.
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