Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said they wanted to assure the public that the dioceses they lead give utmost importance to the safety of minors.

In a statement in the wake of reports that a Gozitan priest who was defrocked by the Vatican two years ago is still to receive the official notification from Bishop Grech, the two bishops said that in 2014 the Church had adopted a policy on how cases of alleged abuse of minors by priests and religious people are investigated.

A Safeguarding Commission has also been established, and has been in operation since February, the bishops said.

This policy states that each time there is an allegation of abuse by a priest, the bishop limits or suspends his pastoral work to eliminate the possibility of his coming in contact with other minors, and refer the case to the Safeguarding Commission.

The civil law is also observed in these cases.

If, at the end of Church process, it is established that the priest is guilty then the applicable punishment is meted out. This ranges from the permanent restriction of pastoral duties to the defrocking of the priest.

Any decision taken is published on the dioceses’ websites www.maltadiocese.org and www.gozodiocese.org