Dominican nun questioned by police, as Mother General admits: 'it's top secret'
UPDATED | A Dominican nun from the infamous Lourdes Home has been questioned by police over claims of abuse on minors, but investigations are shrouded under a veil of Church-imposed secrecy.
21 May 2011, 12:00am
Nestor Laiviera
Nestor Laiviera
2 min read
A Dominican nun who works within the Lourdes residential home in Ghajnsielem, Gozo, has been questioned by investigators at the Police Vice Squad in connection to claims of child abuse.
Sources say that the nun is expected to be interrogated again in the coming hours as investigations contiue.
The arrest reportedly dates back to an alleged instance of child abuse that took place five years ago.
However, the case was kept tightly under wraps.
Informed sources have told MaltaToday that the Police Force has come under intense pressure by the Church to lock down information related to the case for fear of the negative publicity the Church stands to suffer in the run up to the divorce referendum.
Evidence of this has come out from replies MaltaToday has obtained from the Mother General of the Dominican Sisters of Malta Sr Carmelita Borg.
The Mother General refused to confirm or deny the nun’s arrest, but added: “Nobody is supposed to know. Its top secret!” she said, requesting that MaltaToday divulge its source. She refused to comment further, politely terminating the conversation.
It is understood that a female magistrate has been appointed to hear the testimony of the witness who was allegedly abused by the Dominican nun. The testimony was heard urgently as MaltaToday is informed that the witness would be departing the island very shortly.
The Lourdes care home in Ghajsielem is no stranger to abuse allegations.
In 1999, allegations of abuse were made public on a local TV programme prompting Bishop Emeritus Nikol Cauchi to set up a commission to investigate the claims. It drew up a report that concluded the claims were unfounded.
However a 2008 Bondi+ feature revealing ongoing and persistent abuse at that same Lourdes home prompted a second commission (the Colombo Commission) to conduct its own investigation into the abuse allegations.
During the programme about eight victims in their late 20s, mostly in their 30s, and 40s came forward to recount their traumatic experiences.
Set up by Mgr Grech to investigate allegations of physical and psychological abuse perpetrated on minors during their stay at Lourdes House, the Colombo Commission was chaired by Judge Victor Caruana Colombo, and including lawyer Ruth Farrugia, psychologist Angela Abela, and Mgr Fortunat Mizzi.
The report compiled by the Colombo commission found that from 1999 to 2006, no less than 85 cases of sexual abuse were investigated by the Curia’s Response Team. The findings were also passed to the archbishop for consideration and decision-making. The report was released 22 months behind schedule, on 4 April 2008.
Later on that month, reports surfaced that the sisters implicated in the report were expected to move out of the house on an immediate basis.
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Mbasta qazzewna kontra id divorzju dawn listess nies li qed jipriedkaw li ma jqarbnuniex jekk nivvutaw favur. IMMA LI JABBUZAW IT TFAL OK. Il- knisja qatt ma tista tkun kredibbli jekk lanqas qatt ma batet lil membri tahha li abbuzaw tfal innocenti il habs. Issa jmisshom jaghmlu ittra pastorali l isfqijiet u jispjegaw ezatt il fatti u kif qed jigu processati il pedofeli li hi tipprotegi!!!!!!!!
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il knisja politka mahmuga iktar miz zewg partiti fdaqa.
meta nisimaw li jew mara jew ragel jamlu abuzz fuq itfal drit il habs jispicaw. ek sew naqbel imma meta xi kokrocc bhal soru jew qasis jamlu abuzz dawn ma jispicawx il habs anzi jamlu balla snien biex jihdu decisjioni hali dak li ikun jixjieh u imut.
jien kieku ma dahlietx il knisja fuq idivorsju kont nivota le imma meta naf kemm ijja vera muqzieza il knisja kontra taha all the way.
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Hobbu lil Gesu u 'l Marija kemm tridu. L-isqfijiet ibghatuhom jitmejlu. Knisja ta' gideb!
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Sewwa il-knisja trid tahbi il-verita minhabba ir-referendum , allura kif nistghu ikollna fiducja fil-knisja , jew fil-qassisin ? Imbghad jigi jghidulna jekk tivvotaw IVA qieghdin taghmlu dnub kbir . Zmien il-biza mill-knisja ghadda , ikl-poplu qieghed jitghallem u nispera li jkompli jiftah ghajnejh li dawn li taparsi ixerrdu il-kelma t`Alla mhuma xejn hlief oqbra mbajda
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And possibly this nun is one of bishop Grech's crusaders scaring yes voters with damnation.
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-F'din il kampanja qed naraw xi haga li wiehed ghandu jirrifletti fuqa sewwa.
1. Il knisja reget qanqlet dak li kien kwazi miet wara l-interdett. Dawk li sofrew inkluz jien rega beda jbaqbaq go fin dak li konna hossu fis sittinijiet.
2. Naraw in Nazzjonalisti jingabru madwar il knisja. jifthu berah l-ufficju elettorali biex ikun ta ghajnuna ghal LE.Sahansita qed jipprovu ndirizzi biex jintbghatu ittri lill votanti.
3. Ippruvaw jimpressjonaw liz zghazagh biz zghazugh tal Gejjieni angelo micallef, Il futur mexxej tal pajjiz.
Min hu l-aktar b'sahtu miz zewg isqfijiet.Mon Mario grech irrid juri li huwa aktar ta stoffa min Mons. cremona. Tnax il sena ohra Mons.Grech ikun l-arcisqof ta Malta wara Mon Cremona. Zommu dan li qed nghid. l-Arcisqof Cremona ma jistax imexxi jekk ma jnaddafx sewwa, u jirtir lill monsinjuri bil pensjoni.
4. Blattitudni tal knisja din gabet il process naturali b'hamsin sena bil quddiem
5. Rajna attitudni ta sacerdoti li jippruvaw jingiebu mall polplu tinbidel ghal gwadan. Rev. Rene Camilleri li kien l-ispirazzjoni tal polplu idawwar dak li qal ftit tal gimghat ilu. Rajna lir Rev Hilary jipprepara l-palk biex ikun jista jdur dawra durella. Forsi vera li l-knisja ghamlitu professur ?
6. Rajna l-knisja tispjega kif jaqbel lilha. Mis sittinijiet l-hawn huma hafna dawk il Maltin li ma jimpurthomx mir rapprezentanti tal knisja imma b'imhabba kbira jghozzu lill Gesu Kristu f'qalbhom.Ghal darba ohra ma tul hajti rajt il knisja tingrana biex ma titlifx il mghadmad li ghanda fuq il poplu. Din mhiex il knisja ta Gesu Kristu. Din hija l-knisja differenti mill knisja Rumana Kattolika madwar id dinja. Minkejja kollox u kif kienu jgibu ruhom xi sacerdoti kontra l-Arcisqof Mercieca Dan kien il bniedem verament ihobbb lill Alla u ghamel min kollox biex izoom lill polplu Malti maqghud fi zminijiet difficli
Jidher li l-ghazla ta l-Arcisqof Cremona kienet ghazla biex minghalija l-knisja issahhah il pozizzjoni taghha.Illum nista nifhem il pozizzjoni ta Mons. Mercieca dwar l-ghazla ta l-arcisqof il gdid.
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Din hija veru haga ta' l-iskantament kif l-isqof t'Ghawdex Mons. Mario Grech lanqas biss induna li fil-merhla tieghu stess kellu lupu (u ghad ghandu)liebes ta'naghga.
Sewwa qal dak li kiteb wiehed meta ikkummenta fuq dak li qal l-isqof Mons Mario Grech fl-omelija tal-quddiesa ghat-tfal fl-okkazzjoni tal-grizma ta' l-isqof.
Fakkru li il-lupu jista jkun liebes kemm ta' naghga kif ukoll ta'qassis,ta'isqof,ta' kardinal u sahansitra anke ta' Papa. Fakkru wkoll li fli-storja tal-knisja hemm diversi episodji imzewqa mhux hazin bi stejjer bhall dawn u li anke fi-zmienijiet ricenti ghanda ezempji gwappi ohra izejnu din l-istorja.
Hi tal misthija kif l-awtoritajiet tal-knisja tipprova tahbi dan kollu biex ma tidhirx kerha specjalment. Bhall dejjem tridu timponu fuq il-poplu dak li tridu inthom. Halluna niddeciedu ahna dak li hu tajjeb ghalina u tkunux aktar dittaturi.
John Mifsud •
The case has been on the back-burner for years. The original TV programme was in 1999, and the Colombo report was released in April 2008.
Someone, somewhere, thought it appropriate to bring it up just now, a week before the referendum, and make strategic leaks to a section of media. Talk about coincidence!
In Ireland, the YES camp lost massively in 1986, but scraped through with 50.2% a decade later riding high on similar 'timely' allegations of abuse in Church-run institutions.
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The church has always operated with secrecy, and secrecay has served it quite well over the centuries, but it won't serve it that well for much longer in this modern age of communication and emancipation of the peoples. It appears that the church still has to come to grips with modern reality that people are not gullible any more thanks to the widening of horizon through informatica.
Why should something like this be treated with secrecy. It only makes full mockery of the Vatican's spirit of the very recent instructions for the church to co-operate with authorities to deal with child abuse. Part of that co-operation is also to be open to public scrutiny as are the forces of law and order. If the local catholic church feels under attack it has only itself to blame.
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“It’s top secret”. Yes, indeed! Fact is the culture of secrecy and self-preservation within the Catholic hierarchy is deeply rooted and persistent. The real scandal isn’t priests/nuns child abusers. It’s complicit bishops and superiors in religious orders who chose to look the other way or stay silent while knowing that innocent children were being abused. When wrong-doing is kept under wraps, it is repeated. Abusers were encouraged knowing that their superiors would do everything in their power to hush things up.
The time is come to expose evil child abusers who consigned children to a life of unrelenting misery, fear and trauma. It’s time to tell the world of the forgotten children, whose harrowing stories of degradation, humiliation, shame, pain, suffering and sorrow cry for justice and redress. No victim deserves to suffer in shame and silence. We admire the brave victims of these horrific institutions and hope they will continue to seek justice and speak out. Those of the cloth guilty of such crimes should face the same secular justice as anyone else would.
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“Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done”.
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This is a case of public interest. No one wants his children to experience anything similar. For parents to be warned, they must know what is happening. So this is public interest and not a top secret issue. Whoever is shrouding information is an accomplice.
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Why hide these cases? Who knows how many similar cases have been hidden. It is not easy for children to come forward. So justice should be made on the few cases that come to light.
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Lord, lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty work works in your name?And I will declare to them,I never knew you, depart from me you evil doers.
Luke Camilleri •
No big wonder Church in Malta does not want a secular state! They want the the Church to be a COSA NOSTRA with a monopoly in dispensing and absolving with no tolerance!
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To all Labour voters who are toying with the idea of voting NO:
Do you want to consort with these child abusers ?
Do you want to vote with the same people who in the sixties made your forefathers suffer under the Gonzi interdett ?
Do you want to vote with his namesake ?
For, say what you will, but a NO vote is a vote for the PN !
So, pluck up courage and vote YES. You are all sorely needed so that the people drive a wedge between the State and the Church ! And to get rid of those politicians, in both parties, who seem like modernpday Savonarolas.
Your children need a YES vote so that they grow up in a modern and civilised State !
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Nezzawha u hallewha bl-underwear bhal ma ghamlu l-kunsillier ta tas-Sliema?
Donella Agius •
Din l-istorja qed inxommha tinten. Il-pulizija jaghmlu din il-mossa lejliet ir-referendum fuq id-divorzju, fuq kaz li kif qed jinghad gara aktar minn hames snin ilu!!
Micheal Bonanno •
@briffy. Of course I won't seek the church's help. We know what the Maltese Catholic church stands for! Oppression and keeping the ignorant under its yoke. God knows what is in our heart. Only HE can absolve our sins and none other.
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Re: Kurja = Mafja legali
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Not just curia ... I'm afraid it's MUCH BIGGER than that. But it does not mean we cannot stand up to them.
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No fighting, no, no. They're not worth it. We just state our truth over and over as calmly as we can. Don't expect them to change because they won't. Let's not waste our breath, our time and our energy. Each side sees the other as evil.
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But we can move beyond this point.
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We can accept that we co-exist with people who think differently from us. We can let our children, our families, workmates and our friends etc. know our position; and that we are not in the least bit agitated by verbal bullying, threats and blackmail.
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We are dealing with people who are NOT like us. They have no sense of shame, no self respect, no self honesty. They are just people who want to prey on other people’s mind , body and soul.
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WE CAN SEE THESE TACTICS FOR WHAT THEY ARE ~ AND MOVE ON.
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Would Nestor Laviera - whose leanings everybody knows - tell his readers why the Lourdes Home is an infamous place? Would he care to point out some of the good work done by those nuns over so many years? Would he also justify the timing of the sensational article? As for the comments written by the usual church haters and bashers I have only one advice. When you are on your death bed don't bother to ask for the services of a priest.
Isabelle Borg •
Kurja = Mafja legali
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Now you should talk Mons. Grech. It seems you like keeping everything under wraps!! It's like the secret kept from us Gozitans that you charge The Victoria Cathedral Chapter hundreds of Euros for the Mass you go an celebrate on the feast of The Assumption! Shame!
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Mons Grech
Minn kliemek niehdok li inti mit-twelid ilbist il-libsa tal-haruf. Prosit u bravu. Tista tohrog stqarrija (forsi ma' Mons Arc Cremona wkoll) fejn fiha tichdu li tridu zzommu dan il-kaz sigriet? Ghawdxi habib tieghi jghid li inti taghmel uzu minn karozza li ghalija il-kurja tieghek thallas madwar Eur 180.00 kulljum. Nghid is-sew jien ma' nemminiex. Serrahli rasi li dan il-habib tieghi giddieb. Qalli wkoll li kien hemm xi rahal f'Ghawdex li l-kappillan tal-lokal ried ibiegh oqbra bi prezz. Dan l-Ghawdxi qalli li inti ndhalt f'din il-bicca u l-prezz sar aktar gholi!! Anki din ma' tantx tizilli. Tichadha please halli nibqa' nzommok quddiem ghajnejja liebes libsa ta' haruf? Ikolli nammetti li jien il-libsa tieghi mhix ta' haruf.
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So it appears that the child abuse saga continues unabated- and is still hushed up by the criminal organisation based in Rome.
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Din il-praspura gdida l-Isqof t'Ghawdex kif ukoll ta' Malta kienu jafu biha u allura messhom dahhluha fic-cirkulari li se tinqara fil-knejjes il-lejla u ghada l-Hadd u mhux ippruvaw jixtru lil pulizija biex izommu kollox mohbi.
L-ahwa fuq nota ohra. Araw ftit il-qerq tan-NET TV meta qed juruna u jfakkrun li nhar is-Sibt ser nivvutaw fir-referendum. Qed jghidulna li ser nivvutaw Le jew Iva ghad-divorzju. Fil-fatt il-mistoqsija mhix din izda fiha ukoll li d-divorzju jista jittiehed wara 4 snin ta' separazzjoni minghajr cans li wiehed jirranga ecc. ecc. Min mhux intiz dwar din il-mistoqsija u jara NET TV jiehu l-impressjoni li l-mistoqsija tar-referendum hija kif riedha l-Prim Ministru cioe: Inti trid li f'Malta jidhol id-divorzju? IVA jew LE.
Qerq, Qerq u Qerq.
Hemm bzonn li nhar is-Sibt naghtu lezzjoni kbira lil lull min haqqu jehodha, wara kollox b'500 Euro zieda fil-gimgha, mhix ser taghmillu wisq differenza.
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fuq dawn l-affarijiet immissu jitkellem l-Arcisqof ta Ghawdwx Mons Mario Grech mhux bil wicc VILI jigi JINDAHAL lin nies li jekk jivvotaw IVA jghamlu DNUB MEJJET dan u il kazi l-ohra li hemm huma DNUBIET MEJTA Mons Mario Grech ara dawn l-ABBUZI li jaghmlu il KLERU ta MALTA u Ghawdex TIPPROVAW TAHBUHOM Ghahekk qabel missek TFAJT il GEBLA lid dar tal hgieg Mons Mario Grech MISSEK RAJT XKAPACI jghamel il kleru li jaqa tahtek ghax dan il kaz sar gewwa GHAWDEX taht il MERHLA TIEGHEK MONS ARCISQOF MARIO GRECH
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Dan jikkonferma li l-kleru barra li hu ghaqda tal-mazunerija, huwa klabb tal-pedofali. Tal-misthija.
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YOU FOOLS - THIS IS ALL ONE BIG MISTAKE! The police are not questioning a nun - its a sheep in wolf's clothing, or is it the otherway? - Monsignor Greck got me confused!
Shush, shush lest the already precarious (C)hurch's position worsens just before the final run-up to the 'Reverendu'.
Gives me the impression the police are on the YES TO DIVORCE side when their boss GONZIPN stands watching from across the road, unsuccessfully trying to steer clear of the broadsides and wondering what effects this whole drama will have on his chances at the next election. Top secret my foot! Hawwadni ha nifhem! Yapa yapa doo!
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Top secret my foot...what sort of country are we living in?
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The Mother General refused to confirm or deny the nun’s arrest, but added: “Nobody is supposed to know. Its top secret!
The mother general had an obligation and a duty of care to those minors who where in her care !! hope justice prevails for the victims.too many kids have suffered in religious institutions and have been swept under the carpets for too many years.The laws of the land should be for all no exclusions.
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Top secret?
They are all humans just like all.
"justice must be to all the same, No one is above the law".
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This is clearly a "public interest" story and reporting it is right. Quoting the Nun saying"It's top secret" is enough in itself. If this paper did not publish this having had this information, the paper itself would've been in collusion wjth whomever is trying to hide the facts from the public. The reporting does not say anyone was charged with anything. But clearly some sort of investigation is under way and this is (allegedly)confirmed by Carmelita Borg. The Church, from the Bishops down, are subject to the law of the land. They should obey such laws and be subjected to them as is any other citizen.
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X'gahndu x'jaqsam Mgr. Grech jekk inhu veru dan il-kaz Mona. Isqof Grech forsi kien ghadu nitfa ta' tifel, ma nafx imma jien ma nista ghaliha li kazi li ilhom li graw tant u tant snin jigu l-allegati vittmi illum jesponu (ghandhom dritt) dawn l-affarijiet u ahna ta' taparsi nsara, nsara ta' l-isem,insara ta' meta nixjiehu, nsara ta' meta nkunu fuq is-sodda tal-mewt nibdew nakkuzat lill-Isqof, sacerdorti, issa sorijiet. Jista jkun li kien hemm min zblja mela le, mhux kullhadd huwa perfett. Kristu mit-tnax li ghazel hareg wiehed hazin u kien Kristu li ghazlu mhux Cikku jew Peppu ghax inkella minn tnax kien ikun hdax hziena. Ghalhekk jien anissugerixxi li l-ewwel inhallu l-gustizzja tiehu l-passi kollha u wara li jsir il-gudizzju nitkelmu. U tinsewx x'hin tkunu fil-bzonn ta'xi grazzja harsu lejn is-sema u itolbu l-hniena minn ghand id-Divin Alla u hu jisma l-karba taghkom u jghinkom. ps. jiena m'inhiex sacerdot u xejn jiena bniedem bhal haddiehor li pero' ma naqsbix u naghmel konkluzjonijiet bl-adddocc. jiena bniedem li nghid li jiena kattoliku u imma mhux minn dawn li mmur l-quddies u nitqarben kulljum, jiena bniedem li nidneb bhal kullhadd imma kapaci nittollera l-izball ta' haddiehor, kapaci naghder, jigifieri ma nghix li jiena xi qaddis nimxi fl-art anzi l-boghod b'mili minn hekk. Il-gurnata t-tajba lill-kullhadd.
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L-Isqof ta’ Ghawdex huwa maghruf sew ghall-habi u biex johrog l-annullamenti lill-hbieb tal-hbieb u jindhal fejn ma jesux anke b'mod illegali.
Jekk verament indahal fix-xoghol tal-Pulizija biex din is-soru tinheles mill-arrest, allura l-Amministrazzjoni tal-Korp tal-Pulizija ghandha x'tirrispondi. Lura ghall-medjevu..... Miskina MALTA!!!!!!
Isabelle Borg •
What have you to say Mgr.Grech in your Sunday sermon about this?
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This looks like a withhunt to me. What kind of abuse. Could someone please enlighten us. TO write an article this way and not mention the type of abuse someone is or was charged with is not ethical reporting because it leads to the wrong conclusion. If someone is arrested, and an article is written, it's the newspapers or blog responsibility to report what the charge is so that it will not lead to confusion of what is at hand.
