POPE BENEDICT XVI flew into Rome last night after a largely successful two-day pastoral visit to Malta which concluded with a private meeting with eight victims of clerical sex abuse.
This is the pope’s fourth such encounter following meetings with US, Australian and Canadian victims in 2008 and last year. A Vatican statement confirmed the meeting, saying: “On Sunday 18 April, in the apostolic nunciature in Malta, the Holy Father met a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy. He was deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what they and their families have suffered.
“He prayed with them and assured them that the church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future.
“In the spirit of his recent Letter To The Catholics Of Ireland, he prayed that all the victims of abuse would experience healing and reconciliation, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.”
It is believed that Archbishop of Malta Paul Cremona, who had previously met some of the victims, helped to set up the meeting. Prior to the pope’s departure for Malta, the Vatican had urged caution on any such meeting saying that while it was “possible”, it would not be announced beforehand. The Vatican has consistently argued that such meetings should take place in private and unannounced.
At the end of a two-month period when the Holy See has been less than adroit in handling the whole clerical sex abuse issue, yesterday’s meeting resulted in some good publicity for the pope.
Indeed, his two-day trip to Malta, a country where neither abortion nor divorce are legal, provided a welcome fillip for the pope as it passed off peacefully, despite warnings that the visit might well be disrupted by protests from sex abuse victims.
When 40,000 people gathered for an open air Mass in Floriana yesterday morning, there was no sign of protest as the pope was greeted with banners of welcome.
Nonetheless, the shadow of the sex abuse issue hovered over the trip. On the plane to Malta on Saturday, the pope had spoken of a church, “wounded by our sins”.
The pope was greeted by Maltese president George Abela who said the church remains “committed to safeguarding children and all vulnerable people”, while adding it would be wrong “to try to use the reprehensible indiscretions of the few to cast a shadow on the church as a whole”.
Some commentators saw the remarks as a reference to a case in which three priests are accused of having molested 10 Maltese boys.