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Gozo priest accused of abuse says he will not return to Australia
Gozo priest accused by former altar boy of committing abuse in Australia speaks to Cairns newspaper.
3 June 2011, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Report by Gavin King, The Cairns Post
A Gozitan priest at the centre of a lawsuit filed by a former altar boy from Atherton who alleges he suffered years of abuse, has refused to return to Australia to face his accuser, The Cairns Post reports today.
Father Joseph Sultana relocated from the Cairns diocese to Malta in the late 1990s after allegations surfaced of misconduct that the Catholic Church deemed "inappropriate" for a priest.
A decade after Sultana left Australia, a Cairns man lodged a lawsuit against the Catholic Church in the Supreme Court, claiming he was regularly abused by Sultana while he was a student and altar boy at St Joseph’s School and Church at Atherton between March 1979 and November 1982.
In a joint investigation with MaltaToday, The Cairns Post tracked down Fr Sultana to his current residence in the Gozo diocese of Malta.
At the time the court case was lodged in October last year, The Cairns Post was told by local church representatives that they did not know if Sultana was still alive.
In a brief phone conversation on Friday, Sultana, believed to be aged in his 70s, said he would not return to Australia for the court case. "I cannot talk about this with you or anyone," he said.
The case against the Catholic Church is being prepared by Dean and Bolton Solicitors, with medical reports being collated before both parties enter into a compulsory conciliation process.
If the matter is not settled during that process, the case will go to trial.
Cairns Bishop James Foley, who offered the victim religious counselling when informed of the abuse in November 2009, told The Cairns Post he had been in email contact with the current Bishop of Gozo, where Sultana is still serving as a priest.
"The current Bishop of Gozo (Malta) and I have exchanged emails on this matter, initiated by him after this was reported in the media in Malta," Bishop Foley said.
"Now I have no authority or jurisdiction over Joseph Sultana. The alleged victim and his solicitors have been urged by myself and our lawyers that this matter should be in police hands, as they are the only ones with the means and the authority to investigate.
"If I make any contact with Joseph Sultana at this stage, that could interfere with any current or future police investigation. Hence, I am unable to say or do more at this time."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Skalda The history of the Maltese catholic church is one awful episode after another, Strickland, Mintoff , the divorce issue, and the abusing the innocents.
In Jesus words it is better to tie a mill stone around the neck and throw oneself unto the sea then the cause one of these little ones to fall.
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il knisja kontra idevorsju hali itfal jispicaw listiut u il club ikompli bil missioni tijaw coe abuzz fuq itfal
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THE UNTOUCHABELS.......... fikom il hobz.
club tal pervertiti. ahjar tixtrulom pupu jintefah bhala parti mil club bonus. forsi flahar isibu tarf tal hmieg li ghandkom fis sede
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What do you mean 'cannot be taken to court because of the statutes of limitations'?! What?!! The worst kind of criminals cannot be taken to court?!!
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After the referendum the Maltese bishops were shocked to realise they have lost all credibility and the right to preach to us mere mortals. Archbishop Cremona and Bishop Grech need to come clean, be honest and transparent. They must publish the names of all perpetrators who have been credibly accused. Some cannot be taken to court because of the statutes of limitations. However, they are still just as dangerous and society in general needs to know about them. A priest who abuses in Malta can also abuse in Peru, or Timbuktu or anywhere. The names need to be public and accessible to warn parents and protect children.
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Well well well who is the devil in sheep clothing now! DISGUSTING Perhaps they may invoke children now victims of Priests
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Molesting children is the worst crime on earth. Father Sultana should be deported to answer for his past 'deeds'. No one is above the law. In Australia he will be given the opportunity to defend himself from these claims.
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People who are coming forward to devulge their experience when they were young should be extended all the assistance needed, and not left suffering even further.
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What happened to the "nuns' story" of Ghajnsielem? Have the police concluded their investigations?
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Is this priest still practising in Gozo? Did the church bosses know about him and what did they do about it? These people are the same ones who where telling us that voting YES is a sin. That using condoms is a sin, using IVF is a sin, etc, etc it would be completely unacceptable if the church knew about his alleged criminal actions and still left him practicing in Gozo.
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volpi liebes ta haruf............................
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Mhux ha nghid li il-knisja perfetta. Qatt ma kienet u qatt ma hi ha tkun.Anqas fil-bidu taghha. Biss biss dixxiplu tradih u iehor cahdu 3 darbiet (u kien l ewwel Papa) lil Kristu. Nemmen li kella bzonn tbesbisa sew u hadita fir-referendum u kuntent hafna li rebah l-Iva, imma issa onestament tqazzist naqra certu kummenti. Jekk hemm 20% ikrah fil-knisja ... dak biss jidher??... it-tajjeb li fiha... XEJN??
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Issa naraw xi krucjata tal-habi se issir! Ant-Klerikali? Ivvintawha dawk li jridu jorbtu qalbhom mal-poter ta din id-dinja! Oh oqbra imbajda mimlija wirdien!
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Bishop Grech if we are wolves because pro divorce. This guy must be, at least, hyena. How about delivering a homely on hyenas in priests' clothing. Better still why don't you go on Radio and have a phone in? Now that would be interesting.
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Bishops and archbishops fail or refuse to act for one reason and one reason only - they empatise with the abusers because they share the same feelings even if they do not act on them (some do). That is what draws them to the priesthood. Forget all this rubbish about a vocation.
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L-Ghawdxin ghandhom kuxjenza u hsieb differenti mill-Maltin ghalhekk qalu le ghad-divorzju. Mhux ghax semghu mill-Isqof Mario Grech zgur. Dan huwa l-iktar Isqof divisiv li qatt kellu Ghawdex. Malli lahaq isqof harbat il-parrocci ta San Gorg u Santa Marija billi tajjar lill-kappillani taghhom u hatar kappillani 'puppets' li lanqas biss jafu x'laqathom. Il-parruccani ghadhom imhawdin ghal ahhar. Parrocci ohra laqathom l-istess destin u hawn tharbit A1.
Haga wahda li ibrilla l-isqof Grech....fis-safar. Ghidilna kemm il-darba sifirt kemm ilek isqof?
Jekk Fr Sultana ghandu x'jirrispondi ibghatuh lejn l-Awstralja. Dik l-irgulija u hekk sewwa u xieraq.
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A sheep in a ram's clothing! Does Bishop Grech consider this priest a brigand and a wolf too, or is Sultana immune in view of his priest's frock? Two weights and two measures will not endear you to your people, Mr Bishop. You must decide, and declare loud and clear, which is the worse of the two: voting for divorce by us mortal citizens or the abuse of children by 'holy' priests.
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It seems that Bishop Mario Grech is protecting this priest, that is, if he does not order him to return to Australia. Or abusing children by priests permissive in the Catholic Church? Speak out now Bishop Grech or forever hold your peace.
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@Xprun
If you really feel "backward" by 20 years vis a vis the rest of Europe, try to confront this inferiorty you may have by facing the problem head on. Feeling superior towards gozitans wont help you much. It's like rushing home to kick your dog when you're really angry at your boss.
Or else specify the people you're talking about, like the bishop if you intend to speak about the bishop, and not lump everyone together. We all have our bishops, and clydes, and the list is longer than we want to admit.
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Conscience...here we go again.
The C-word.
That poor word !
Abused like altar boys being abused by catholic priests.
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Can Mgr Mario Grech, the bishop of Gozo, who is very outspoken on matters he chooses, please tell us more about this case? Can he tell us what he has done and what he is doing about Fr Joseph Sultana?
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The name of the book is THE CHURCH THAT FORGOT GOD.
by Jimmy Breslin
It documents facts of pedophilia in the Catholic institutions.
And it's a perfect example of the church in Malta & Gozo.
The question here is this.
Excellency Cremona & Grech, how much longer and how far are you willing to remain at the upper echelon of this religious order that continues to be so very fallible in the matters of human dignity and compassion?
Is it possible that your 6% commission from your seperate dioceses are the only reason why you continue with your theatrics?
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If he priest committed a crime, he should be investigated. Having sad that, lets get too carried away with your anit catholic stand - I am refering to some of the postings here, because gozitans voted their conscience. Remember, we didn't listen to our bishop, most people in Gozo do not care one iota what bishop grech says as he is seen a polorizer in Gozo parishes.
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He does not want to leave, unless the Bishop Mario Grech discovers that there is a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing among his flock.
If he's innocent,what is he afraid of ?
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U x'wicc ghandom li jibqghu isejhulu qassis? Veru li f'Ghawdex kollox jghaddi, imma dan it-tali jmissu gie sospiz, u l-kaz tieghu jmissu ilu li nstema' biex issir gustizzja ma min allegatament gie abbuzat. Ghandek tghid aktar ma jghaddi zmien aktar din il-povra gzira Ghawdex qed taqa' fil-hmieg. U l-Isqof Arci-konservativ Mario Grech jaghmel ftit li xejn biex jirranga s-sitwazzjoni - anzi bil-maqlub, jew bi kliem mhux meqjus, jew b'nuqqas ta' ghemil, jidher li mhux il-bniedem addattat biex imexxi l-kurja f'Ghawdex. Kif qal xi hadd: Malta 20 sena wara l-Ewropa u Ghawdex 20 sena wara Malta!
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here is the sheep in wolf clothing
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Bishop James Foley. Don't worry. He's in very safe hands in Gozo. Rest assured that nothing will ever happen to this paedophile priest. guaranteed by Malta's and Gozo's Curia. God will surely absolve him but He will not absolve the 122,000 plus brigands who voted yes to the introduction of divorce. Pax Vobiscum.
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Bishop Grerch your chickens came to roost. Letting a pedophile carry on his church duties is nothing short of a brigand and a wolf in sheep clothing.
