Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/563633
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST 2015 6 News JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority has approved a 119 square metre airpistol shooting range in the Clock Tower block in Tigne Point. The development of a shooting range in this area was foreseen in the local plan but the area was pre- viously identified as a club house for sports organisations. The pro- posed shooting range will replace the premises of the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters. Residents in Tigne Point had ob- jected to the development claim- ing that this constituted an unac- ceptable nuisance due to the noise. But an engineer report concluded that noise levels will be below any background noise levels and were within acceptable limits. The development will take place with the first floor level of Block T1 on the site formerly occupied by the British barracks which were used for social housing and sports clubs. Originally the first floor was al- located to the Assocjazzjoni Spor- tiva Tigne which no longer exists. Subsequently most of this space was allocated to offices like that of MIMCOL. Tigne Point gets a shooting range CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Malta and Gozo are separate dioceses, each with its own administration. Since 1864, the diocese of Gozo has been led by a bishop, whilst the Maltese archdiocese is led by a metropolitan archbishop, who does not have any jurisdiction on the Gozitan diocese. In its response, the Gozo curia failed to reply to questions relat- ed to Camilleri's case and instead reiterated that in all cases of al- leged abuse by pastoral function- aries on minors, the protocols set by both canon and civil law, are accurately followed. "While we are unable to com- ment on individual cases for con- fidentiality reasons, action is tak- en in all cases of alleged abuse, as deemed necessary, to safeguard all parties," the Gozo diocese said. It added that since its inception in February 2015, the Church Commission for the Safeguard- ing of Children and Vulnerable Adults has been advising the dio- cese of Gozo in "all safeguarding children matters." Speaking to MaltaToday on the condition of anonymity, Gozitan priests and parish priests said that they have not been notified of Camilleri's dismissal and neither have they been told to ensure that he does not actively practise his clerical duties in their parishes. Camilleri's case was referred to the Curia's Response Team in Oc- tober 2003 by then Gozo Bishop Nikol Cauchi. The Nadur priest was found guilty by an adminis- trative and penal tribunal within the Malta diocese, however the victims refused to take the case to the police and details of the case are scant. Following the conclusion of the preliminary investigations in September 2005, Cauchi had presented the case to the Holy See and Camilleri was suspended from all public priestly ministry in December of the same year. In the following months, Camill- eri had visited the central Ameri- can country of Honduras and Cauchi had duly informed the lo- cal curia of the suspension. The current Gozo bishop's inac- tion against Camilleri has roused the ire of a number of Gozitan priests who are concerned with Grech's way of dealing with cases of abuse. MaltaToday is informed that Grech's hesitation to dismiss Camilleri led to an internal re- volt within the Gozo curia, with a number of priests raising their concerns with Pope Francis and high ranking figures at the Holy See. Calling on the Vatican to "in- vestigate" Grech's professional misconduct, Gozitan priests also pointed out "gross financial mis- management" perpetuated by the bishop and the interference by his family in the running of the dio- cese. Before Mgr Charles Scicluna's appointment as Archbishop of Malta earlier this year, Gozi- tan priests warned the Vatican against appointing Grech, who they said was "not fit for purpose" to serve as Metropolitan Arch- bishop of Malta. The Vatican was also informed of the theft of a letter issued by Grech requesting a parish priest to keep an eye on another paedo- phile priest. In recent years, the Catholic church has been plagued by cases of paedophilia involving members of the clergy and the Maltese and Gozitan diocese have had their fair share of scandals too. In 2012, defrocked priests Car- melo Pulis and Godwin Scerri were sentenced to six years and five years imprisonment respec- tively after being found guilty of sexually abusing at least 11 or- phan boys at St Joseph Home in Hamrun. In 2006, the Archdiocese of Miami barred Gozitan priest An- thony Mercieca from functioning as a priest anywhere in the world after confirming that he was the clergyman who was accused of molesting former member of the United States House of Rep- resentatives Mark Foley in the 1960s. Mercieca fled American justice and flew to Gozo were he report- edly defied the US church's orders and celebrated mass every morn- ing at the cathedral in Victoria. In 2011, the Australian Catholic church settled a sex-abuse case involving a Maltese-born priest, Emanuel Joseph Spiteri, who had returned to Malta, where he con- tinued to be regarded as a priest. More recently, Fr Jesmond Gau- ci, a Gozitan priest, was arraigned in court after being accused of abusing three girls, allegedly touching one of his teenage vic- tims in front of her mother, at a family event. Gauci was released on bail in September 2014. In a separate case, Fr Charles Fenech from Rabat, was this year charged in court over the alleged sexual abuse of women over a number of years. In May, Archbishop Scicluna re- vealed that since being appointed to head the Malta diocese three months earlier, four new cleri- cal sex abuse claims were being investigated by the newly set up Safeguarding Commission. Bishop's hesitation leads to Curia revolt Bishop Mario Grech refused to comment on the case involving the pedofile priest who the Vatican defrocked in March 2013 The Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters will have a new shooting range within the Clock Tower apartment block at Tigne Point