Attempts to hear testimony of nuns linked to orphanage abuse through videoconferencing unsuccessful

Judicial assistant appointed to assist in the gathering of evidence in constitutional proceedings regarding allegations of abuse at Lourdes Home orphanage

Lourdes Home, the orphanage where the abuse took place (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)
Lourdes Home, the orphanage where the abuse took place (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Attempts to hear the testimony of two nuns implicated in abuse allegations at Lourdes Home orphanage in Gozo by way of videoconferencing were unsuccessful, with the examination being swiftly suspended by the Court.

Constitutional proceedings filed by Carmen Muscat and Rosanne Salina resumed on Monday afternoon before the Court presided over by Mr. Justice Mark Simiana, as two nuns were scheduled to testify online after they were absent from a previous sitting due to health reasons.

Technical problems, however, meant that such witnesses could not be adequately heard by the Court.

One of the nuns, Dorothy Mizzi, nonetheless managed to state that the persons filing the case were not resident at the place where she worked, inasmuch as Lourdes Home was subdivided into different residences according to the ages of the children.

Evidence will now be gathered by way of a judicial assistant appointed by the Court.

The abuse occurred at the now-defunct orphanage between 1975 and 1984, with allegations against Dominican nuns Sr Josephine Anne Sultana and Sr Dorothy Mizzi under Mother Superior Sr Carmelita Borg.

READ ALSO: Abused by nuns: Victims describe childhood in Gozo orphanage from 'hell'

The victims of abuse at the Lourdes Home orphanage in Gozo have rejected the apology issued by the Gozitan church in 2008, calling it inadequate. Carmen Muscat, one of the survivors, criticises the apology as a generic media release and demands more recognition for the suffering endured.

On 15 January 2024, survivors Rosanne Saliba and Carmen Muscat testified on the abuse at a Church-run orphanage have described harrowing experiences of sexual abuse by clergy and savage beatings from nuns in court today. The two women testified in a Constitutional case against the State presided over by Judge Mark Simiana, in which they claim the State had done nothing to safeguard their rights or care at the orphanage

After the initial investigation in 2006 deemed the claims "unfounded," a subsequent inquiry by Cardinal Mario Grech revealed "inadmissible behaviour involving minors." The church issued an apology, but victims like Roseanne Saliba and Mary Borg feel it was insufficient and have voiced their anger over the lack of accountability, some of whom continue to work with vulnerable people.

The victims are taking legal action against the State for failing to protect them when they were minors, with the case now in the hands of the country’s highest court.

The victims were assisted by lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic.