Dawn huma uħud mill-istqarrijiet li għamel f’dawn l-aħħar snin l-Isqof Mario Grech dwar l-abbużi seswali fuq il-minuri.

1. Note sent to the Times of Malta: re. your query Bishop Mario Grech was not a member of the response team in the 2003 case. However he was on the response team when the case was presented again. In the course of this second inquiry Bishop Grech resigned from his post on November 2005 when he was nominated Bishop (10 August 2011)

2. Mons Isqof qal lill-kappillani li jekk ikollhom xi inforamzzjoni dwar abbuz seesswali fuq minuri minn xi funzjonarju pasorali ma nistgħux nerfgħu r-responsabilta u għalhekk għandhom jistiednu lil min jagħtihom informazzjoni bħal din biex iwassluha lil Isqof u jħeġġuhom ukoll biex jinformaw lil pulizija. (Minuti laqgħa tal-Kulleġġ tal-Kappillani, (3 ta’ Awissu, 2011)

3. “Bishop Grech insists that all members of the Church, clergy and laity alike, are in duty bound to cooperate with the ecclesiastical and civil authorities investigating similar cases (of sexual abuse of minors)”. (Statement by Bisho Grech published by the Times of Malta, 4th June 2011)

4. “Kull abbuż seswali fuq il-minuri huwa ħażin u kundannabli, irrrispettivament jekk min iwettqu tkunx persuna lajka, reliġjuża jew saċerdot. L-abbużi sesswali għandhom jiġu denunzjati lil awtoritajiet kompetenti , partikularment lill-puliżija”. ( Diskors ta’ l-Isqof Grech fil-konkluzzjoni tal-Konferenza Nazzjonali “Is-Sbuħija tal-Ġisem. Lejn Teoloġija tal-Ġisem”, 31 ta’ Ottubru 2010)

5) Imbagħad hemmimġieba skandaluża, bħalma huma skandli koroħ l-abbużi fil-Knisja partikularment l-abbużi sesswali imwettqa minn membri tal-kleru jew reliġjużi. Abbużi ta’ din ix-xorta, iktar u iktar jekk ikunu involuti l-minorenni, jagħmlu ħsara enormi u qed ikissru l-kredibilita tal-Knisja
( Omelija li Mons Isqof Mario Grech għamel waqt il-pontifikal ta’ l-10 ta’ Frar 2010 fil-Munxar)

6) Da parti tagħha, il-familja kif ukoll dawk l-istituzzjonijiet li jassistu l-familja fil-formazzjoni u l-kura ta’ l-ulied, bħalma huma l-iskejjel, iġorru fuq spallejhom id-dmir li jħarsu u jippromwovu d-drittijiet tat-tfal. Huwa allarmanti li llum għadhom jsiru allegazzjonijiet li f’ċerti istituzzjonijiet, bħalma huma xi familji u xi skejjel, għad hemm min jagħmel vjolenza fiżika u morali fuq it-tfal. Incidenti bħal dawn għandhom jiġu denunzjati lil-awtorita” ( Messaġġ tal-Isqof Grech fl-okkażjoni taċ-Ċerimonja ta’ l-Għoti tal-Premju “Qalb tad-Deheb”, 25 ta’ Jannar 2008)

7) “Ix-xhieda tagħna hija importanti ħafna għax issaħħaħ il-kelma tagħna. Daqstant ieħor tkun detrimentali xhieda skandaluża. Nagħmel referenza għall-allegazzjonijiet ta’ abbużi sesswali minn funzjonarji pastorali. Fil-preżent fi-djoċesi tagħna is-saċerdot normalment huwa fdat. Nibżgħu għal din il-fiduċja. Imġieba skoretta mhux biss tagħmel ħsara gravi lill-vittmi, imma tkisser il-kredibilita tal-presbiterju kollu, aktar u aktar jekk din l-imġieba tirriżulta waqt l-azzjoni liturġika. FIl-provinċja Ekkleżjastika Maltija għandna ‘Policy’ li jien obligat insegwi; imbagħad hemm ukoll istruzzjoni mill-kongregazzjoni tal-Fidi li tgħid li jekk l-Isqof ikun mgħarraf b’xi inċidenti bħal dawn, huwa fid-dmir li jikkomunika magħhom” (Diskors ta’ l-Isqof Mario Grech fil-laqgħa tal-bdil ta’ l-Awguri mas-Saċerdoti, 5 ta’ Jannar 2008)

8 “It-tfal għandhom dritt illi ma jkunux abbużati, la fiżikament, la psikoloġikament u lanqas emozzjonalment. Minn tagħrif li għandi, quddiem l-Aġenzija Appoġġ hemm ħames mitt każ jistennew li jiġu trattati. Possibli ma nsitgħu nagħmlu xejn biex dawn il-każijiet jiġu investigati fi żmien qasir? L-ewwelnett ħalli nneħħu darba għald ejjem l-idea li min qed jagħmel dan l-isfreġju fuq uliedna jibqa frank; imbagħad biex ngħinu lil dawn il-vittmi jirkupraw dimensjoni importanti li tista’ tħallihom immarkati ħajjithom kollha! Għalina li niftaħru li għandna ċivilta li tiddefendi d-drittijiet tat-tfal, dawn hum drittijiet li jeħtieġu azzjoni immedjata. (Omelija ta’ l-Isqof Mario Grech, festa tat-twelid tal-Madonna, Xagħra-8 ta’ Settembru 2006)

9) Għandna t-tfal li qed jiġu vittimizzati. Ħafna drabi meta nitkellmu dwar it-tfal bħala vittmi jiġina f’moħħna l-abbuż sesswali tat-tfal, jew l-abbuz fiżiku, jew psikoloġiku tat-tfal. Iva dawn l-affarijiet huma ħżiena, u hemm bżonn illi niqfulhom, ikunu ġejjin minn fejn ġejjin. U hemm bżonn illi nsemmgħu leħinha biex uliedna jiġu mħarsa u rispettati”
(Omelija tal-isqof Mario Grech, Festa ta’ Santa Margerita, Sannat-23 ta’ Lulju 2006)

“Am I the only one to find that comment not a little patronising?”

But consider the facts. The Gozitans are the Maltese writ large. They take everything that is Maltese to the next level: insularity, hamallagni, puppagni, dialects, extended families, fottimenti, fleecing off the gullible tourist, the Ricotta Complex, the centre-of-the-universe syndrome…..

It’s the grammar checker on MS word. It’s always suggesting that “which” or “who” be changed for “that”.

[Daphne – Switch to British English, because that’s US English.]

Here we go, throwing mud at anyone who is involved.

From what I read Fr Bezzina did everything he could. He was the one who reported this whole thing to the Curia. Obeying his superiors is one of his votes when he joined MSSP.

Not taking the right decisions in difficult circumstances is one thing, but implying that Fr Bezzina should not be trusted with primary school kids is highly unfair.

[Daphne – One of whom. Which is for inanimate objects, plants and animals.]

*blush*blush* you’re right.

[Daphne – Have you noticed just how many people are now saying and writing ‘that’ instead of ‘who’? The person that, the people that, the woman that…where do you think they get it?]

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t have let him know about my marriage, let alone asking him to officiate the wedding.

The other one was about kissing. Didn’t he ever kiss his girlfriend /wife on her lips? So why does he find it hard to kiss his little daughter on her forehead like normal fathers do?

His carer used to fondle him and kiss him on the lips, something which parents don’t do to their offspring.

[Daphne – Why doesn’t he find it hard to kiss his wife but can’t kiss his daughter? Duh, John: the relationship with his wife is sexual, and meant to be so.]

True, but it seems the church never learns. It is only a few weeks since I received a leaflet full of lies about divorce from none other than the church.

Lesson to be learned (by the church): Honesty pays.

Fr. Silvio Bezzina is now the Rector of the MSSP College in Rabat. From this year, that College will have a primary school.

“However, the order also shouldered the financial cost of the top criminal lawyers, Giannella Caruana Curran and Joe Giglio, who defended the priests.” http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110808/local/No-Church-policy-on-compensation.379221

It’s nice to know that any donations made to Dar San Guzepp in goodwill by people like myself may instead been channelled to defence lawyers in this disgusting case. I’ll definitely think twice before giving any MONEY to such charities.