Archbishop Wilson and the Catholic Church -- L-Arċisqof Wilson u l-Knisja Kattolika

 

I think I wasn’t the only person learning, with disgust, but without much surprise, that Archbishop Philip Wilson from the Roman Catholic Church in Adelaide, was found guilty last May in a NSW court of hiding child sexual abuse that had occurred by the priest Fr Jim Fletcher in the Hunter region of NSW in the seventies.1

 

It wasn’t a surprise, not from knowing the details of the case, but with the sheer volume of accusations over many years no only of the abuse proper but also, and worse, the lack of serious action or concealment by the Catholic Church, to my mind it was almost inevitable that some time, somewhere, someone from the top echelons was going to get it.

 

The Maltese have a saying, loosely equivalent to ‘there’s no smoke without fire’.

 

The case isn’t yet over, as the Archbishop has appealed against the sentence of 12 months detention given by the magistrate, who had also commented that the accused did not display any remorse for his actions.

 

Meanwhile, the Archbishop has stood aside from his position which is currently being operated by an administrator, but did not resign from his position.  There were many well known leaders in the Australian scene, including Prime Minister Turnbull and the Head of the Opposition Shorten who declared that the Archbishop should resign straight away.  From his side, Archbishop Wilson remarked that he was conscious of the calls of many to resign, nevertheless he made it clear he would be waiting till the very end of the legal process, and if this turned out to be negative to him, would resign at that point.

 

I will declare without hesittion that the Archbishop has all the right to do so.  The mud thrown on his character has now become a stain, despite his useful work with children victims of sexual abuse in the Wollongong diocese.2

 

For me however, there is another point to be made, and this is how this story reflects on the Catholic Church itself and on its processes.

 

Naturally, the appeal may well end up on his side as he and doubtlessly many others in the Church wish for, and in that case he’ll feel vindicated.  However there is also the real possibility of the inverse result and the sentence be confirmed.  And how would the latter reflect on the Catholic Church, which does not seem to feel the need to ask for his resignation?

 

In case the Archbishop loses the appeal, it would be difficult not to conclude that even today, in 2018, the Catholic Church still does not have adequate internal processes to deal with similar cases, not even processes coherent with the country’s laws that adminsitrators can follow.

 

It would be difficult not to conclude that the Church does not always take appropriate steps, leading wherever they may, unless it is not forced to do so by an external, lay, authority.  The necessary steps take place, unless they lead to one of the princes of the Church.

 

It would be difficult, even for Catholics, not to conclude that the processes of the state are not superior to that of the Church.

I very much regret that the reputation of the Catholic Church, my own and that of many of the readers of this page, just keeps sliding down into the abyss.  I regret even more that even today, teh Church still does not seem to have learnt its lesson.

 

It is risking heavily by leaving the accused, the Archbishop Wilson, with his title, formally representing the church established by Jesus Christ even if his work is currently being undertaken by someone else, until the appeal is heard in the coming mid-August.

 

To me, the ulterior reduction of the credibility of the Catholic Church, if the appeal is lost with Wilson still being formally an Archbishop, is too too big and ugly a consequence.

 

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Naħseb li ma kontx waħdi li nisma b’diżgust, imma mhux daqshekk b’sorpriża, li l-Arċisqof Philip Wilson tal-Knisja Kattolika Rumana f’Adelaide kien misjub ħati f’Mejju ta’ din is-sena f’qorti ta’ NSW li ħeba l-abbuż sesswali tat-tfal li kien seħħ mill-qassis Fr Jim Fletcher fir-reġjun Hunter ta’ NSW fis-snin sebgħin.1  

 

Ma kinetx daqshekk sorpriża, mhux għax kont naf bid-dettalji tal-każ, imma ilna nisimgħu għal ħafna snin b’akkużi mhux biss tal-abbuż imma wkoll, u agħar, ta’ nuqqas ta’ azzjoni serja jew ħabi mill-Knisja Kattolika, tant li f’moħħi kien kważi inevitabbli li xi darba, x’imkien, xi ħadd mill-kbarat kien se jlaqqatha.

 

Kif jgħid il-Malti, il-qasba ma ċċaqċaqx għalxejn.

 

Il-każ għadu ma spiċċax, għax l-Arċisqof appella mis-sentenza ta’ tnax il-xahar detenzjoni li ngħata mill-maġistrat, li kien ikkummenta wkoll li l-akkużat ma weriex indiema għall-azzjoni tiegħu.

 

Sadanittant, l-Arċisqof warrab fil-ġenb mill-pożizzjoni tiegħu li bħalissa qiegħda titħaddem minn amministratur, imma ma rriżenjax mill-pożizzjoni.  Kienu ħafna personaġġi magħrufa fix-xena Awstraljana, inkluż il-Prim Ministru Turnbull u l-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni Shorten li stqarrew li l-Arċisqof għandu jirriżenja minnufih.  Min-naħa tiegħu, l-Arċisqof Wilson irrimarka li kien konxju tal-għajta ta’ ħafna biex jirriżenja, madankollu huwa għamilha ċara li se jistenna li jispiċċa l-proċess legali kollu, u jekk ma jingħatax raġun, joffri r-riżenja tiegħu dakinhar.

 

Jien se ngħid mingħajr tlaqliq li l-Arċisqof għandu kull dritt legali li jagħmel dan.  It-tiċpisa ta’ tajn fuq il-karattru tiegħu issa saret, minkejja x-xogħol siewi mat-tfal vittmi tal-abbuż sesswali fid-djoċesi ta’ Wollongong.2

 

Il-kwistjoni għalija hija oħra, u din hi kif din l-istorja tirrifletti fuq il-Knisja Kattolika nnifisha u fuq il-proċessi tagħha.

 

Naturalment l-appell jista’ jinqata’ favurih bħal ma jixtieq hu u bla dubju ħafna oħrajn fil-Knisja, u f’dak il-każ iħossu vvindikat.  Però hemm il-possibiltà reali l-appell jista’ wkoll jinqata’ kontrih u s-sentenza tiġi kkonfermata.  U din tal-aħħar kif se tirrifletti fuq il-Knisja Kattolika, li ma jidhirx li qiegħda tħoss il-bżonn li titlob hija stess ir-riżenja tiegħu?

Fil-każ li l-appell jinqata’ kontra l-Arċisqof, ikun diffiċli ma tasalx għall-konklużjoni li l-Knisja Kattolika anke llum, fl-2018, għad m’għandhiex il-proċessi interni adekwati biex jittrattaw każijiet simili, u lanqas proċeduri koerenti mal-liġijiet tal-pajjiż li l-amministraturi jistgħu isegwu.

 

Ikun diffiċli ma tasalx għall-konklużjoni li l-Knisja mhux dejjem tieħu l-passi neċessarji skont is-sewwa, iwasslu sa fejn iwasslu, sakemm ma tiġix imġiegħla tagħmel dan minn awtorità esterna, lajka.  Dawn il-passi neċessarji jsiru, basta ma jwasslux għal min huwa meqjus wieħed mill-prinċpijiet tal-knisja.

 

Ikun diffiċli, anke għal min huwa Kattoliku, ma tasalx għall-konklużjoni li l-proċessi tal-istat huma superjuri għal dawk tal-Knisja.

 

Jiddispjaċini ħafna li r-reputazzjoni tal-Knisja Kattolika, il-knisja tiegħi u ta’ ħafna mill-qarrejja ta’ din il-paġna, kull ma jmur qiegħda tinżel iktar l-isfel fil-ħama.  Jiddispjaċini iktar li anke llum, il-Knisja jidher li għadha ma tgħallmitx għal kollox il-lezzjoni.

 

Qiegħda tieħu riskju kbir tħalli lil dan l-akkużat, l-Arċisqof Wilson, bit-titlu tiegħu, jirrappreżenta formalment lill-knisja ta’ Kristu anke jekk xogħlu bħalissa qiegħed iwettqu ħaddieħor, sakemm jinqata’ l-appell f’nofs Awwissu ta’ din is-sena.

 

Għalija, il-konsegwenzi ta’ tnaqqis aħħari tal-kreddibiltà tal-Knisja Kattolika, jekk l-appell jintilef meta Wilson jkun għadu bit-titlu formali tiegħu ta’ Arċisqof, huma kbar u koroh wisq.

1http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/adelaide-archbishop-philip-wilson-guilty-concealing-child-abuse/9783612, retrieved 17/7/2018

2http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-03/who-is-archbishop-philip-wilson/9883638, retrieve 17/7/2018

1http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/adelaide-archbishop-philip-wilson-guilty-concealing-child-abuse/9783612, retrieved 17/7/2018

2http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-03/who-is-archbishop-philip-wilson/9883638, retrieve 17/7/2018