The Church has disassociated itself from a local religious sect which has allegedly caused “psychological and spiritual abuse” to its members.
In a statement, the Malta and Gozo dioceses said they were reaffirming the decision to disassociate themselves from Komunità Ġesù Salvatur.
This follows the work carried out by a Church commission which heard the experiences of all those who offered to meet up with the commission, including the leaders of the Community. The Church commission was led by Mgr Hector Scerri, theologian and President of the Doctrinal Commission within the Maltese Episcopal Conference.
“During a five-month investigation it was observed that, the Community gives a wrong and confused interpretation of Church teachings, an erroneous interpretation of scriptural texts, and an attitude that hurts those who are passing through challenging situations in life,” it said.
A fundamentalist interpretation of the Scripture during talks and meetings revealed a narrow understanding of the Word of God. “Fundamentalism tends to adopt very restricted points of view. The non-critical reading of certain texts of the Bible serves to reinforce ideas and attitudes that are marked by prejudices quite contrary to the Gospel.”
The Commission also found that, “certain aspects of the Christian faith are indeed absolutized by the Komunita` Gesu Salvatur, while forcing the members and others present to embrace, for example, a flawed understanding of redemptive suffering, an improper interpretation of scriptural texts, a distorted attitude to persons who face different challenging situations in life and the preaching of a prosperity gospel.”
‘Preying upon the vulnerable’
It also found that cases of alleged psychological and spiritual abuse have marred the activity of the community. “The leaders and, at times the intercessors, allegedly say the right thing at the opportune moment in order to camouflage their abuse. Unfortunately, this is a case of preying upon vulnerable people who are often seeking a sense of belonging and consolation. In this light, the Komunita` demonstrates the sociological characteristics of a closed cult community which is causing untold harm to many of its members, most of whom are unfortunately unaware of it.”
The Chuch commission concluded that, “irrespective of the spiritual good that could have been done by the Community over the years, one could never justify the alleged psychological and spiritual abuse perpetrated within this community.”
Therefore, by means of a decree issued by the Maltese Episcopal Conference, the Bishops of Malta and Gozo determined that priests and religious are not allowed to participate in meetings organised by the Komunità Ġesù Salvatur; that such meetings cannot be held in churches of chapels or in any other property belonging to the Archdiocese of Malta, the Diocese of Gozo, religious orders and ecclesial lay associations; and that laypersons should not attend activities organised by Komunità Ġesù Salvatur.
The Church said it is offering free support services by professionals to help the persons who could have been affected adversely.
Those who would like to receive this support are invited to call on the helpline 25906510 (during office hours) or send an email on [email protected].