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Tempotimor (Dili)- Prezidente Conferência Epíscopal Timorense (CET) no Bispu Dioseze Maliana Don Norberto do Amaral, agradese ba VIII governu konstituisional, tanba, maski iha situasaun polítika ne'ebé la'o la normál, maibé iha fuan nafatin hodi fó apoiu ba CET.

Tempotimor (Dili) - Solusaun atu hapara impase polítika dalan ida maka rekonsiliasaun entre lideransa sira.

Tempotimor (Dili) – Ambiente selebrasaun Misa Jubileu no tinan 30 Amu Papa João Paulo II vizita Timor-Leste (TL) iha Tasitolu, Kuarta (30/10/19) dadeer ladún hetan partisipasaun husi sarani Katólika sira. Tanba, sarani barak fila ona ba nia knua no munisípiu hodi selebra loron finadu.

Observasaun tempotimor.com hatudu, ambiente ba selebrasaun misa ne'e la hanesan ho misa hirak ne'ebé baibain hala'o iha uma adat, Tasitolu ne'e.

Alende ne'e, ladook husi fatin selebra misa, komunidade barak mak kontinua hala'o hela sira-nia  atividade hanesan bain-bain. Merkadu no terminal iha tasitolu loke nafatin no movimentu transporte nomos ema hanesan baibain.

Iha parte seluk, komunidade sira balun ne'ebé halibur besik dalan tama ba uma adat Tasitolu, la'ós ho objetivu atu partisipa missa. Maibé, sira hein hela transporte públiku atu hala'o viazen ba idak-idak nian munisípiu, hodi selebra loron finadu.

Bispu Dioseze Bobonaro, Dom Norberto Amarál iha nia homilia bainhira selebra misa ne'e, ho lian komik hatete joven sira nia partisipasaun ladún iha fatin ne'e (Tasitolu), maske sira mak loloos ‘masin’ ba rai ida ne'e.

"Joven no labarik sira iha ne'ebé hotu ona. La hetan," dehan Amu Bispu ne'e ho hamnasa.

Maioria sarani sira ne'ebé mak partisipa misa mak grupus igreja nian hanesan eskuteiru, akolitus, amu lulik, madre no frater sira. Iha mos estudante balun, ne'ebé delega husi kada eskola iha Dili laran, atu bele partisipa iha misa refere.

Alende ne'e, iha mós partisipasaun husi membru Governu no deputadu sira, inklui Presidente Repúblika ho ninia espoza, Presidente Parlamentu Nasionál ho nia espoza no Xefi Estadu Maior F-FDTL.

Tempo Timor (Bobonaro)-Igreja Katolika Timor Leste formula hela sistema ida atu ema bele hato’o keixa relasiona ho kazu abuzu seksual hasoru labarik sira ne’ebé komete husi Amu Lulik sira. Ekipa ne’e sei responsavel husi Amu Bispu Dioseze Maliana, Dom Norberto do Amaral.

Iha foho ida ne’ebé sees uitoan husi kapital Maliana, uma mutin boot ida hamriik metin, iha fatin ne’e mak Amu Bispu Dom Norberto hela. Loron ne’e kalohan la taka loro-matan, naroman maibé manas. Fatin ne’ebé hakmatek ne’e hahú barullu bainhira asu rua hahú hatenu. Amu Bispu loke nia odamatan ba jornalista Tempo Timor ne’ebé hakat ba nia fatin hodi halo intervista. Hafoin hatan atu hala’o intervista, Amu Bispu la’o lalais tuir dalan kiik ne’ebé lori nia hakat liu duut fuik no ai-oan iha sorin. Kuaze menutu sanolu resin lima liu, Amu Bispu tuur ona iha kadeira metan boot ida iha sala vizita Dioseze ne’ebé pinta ho kór kinur ho riin no kakuluk kór mean. Iha oin iha kolan kiik ho bee ne’ebé estatua Jejus hamriik ba. Uma foun ne’ebé harii ho orsamentu estadu ne’e foin remata konstrusaun iha fulan lima liu ba.

Iha fulan Fevereiru liu ba, Bispu Norberto partisipa iha simeira espesiál ida iha Vatikanu ne’ebé konvoka husi Amu Papa. Amu Bispu no ulun-boot Uma Kreda sira halibur hamutuk iha Roma, Italia, atu diskute kona-ba lulik, bispu, kardeál, irmaun, padre no irmán sira iha nasaun barak ne’ebé halo abuzu seksual ba labarik sira– no mós oinsá mak atu evita krueldade ne’e.

“Nu’udár Uma-Kreda Katolika ita tenke kombate krime sira hanesan ne’e,” dehan Bispu Norberto ba Tempo Timor hodi hatutan katak tanba krime sira ne’e ema daudauk ne’e hatete “Igreja hanesan lusifer (diabu).”

 

Prosedimentu

Iha fulan Maiu Amu Papa fó sai lei foun ida ne’ebé dehan katak dioseze sira iha mundu tomak tenke estabelese ‘sistema públiku, estável no fásil atu asesu’ hodi fó posibilidade ba ema atu hato’o keixa ba abuzu seksuál ne’ebé komete husi klériju no relijiozu sira, utilizasaun ba pronografia labarik, no tentativa taka krime hirak ne’e. Regra foun sira-ne’e kobre abuzu klerikál la’ós de’it hasoru labarik sira maibé mós ema adultu sira ne’ebé vulnerável, seminarista, no novatu sira. Amu Papa hatete katak “krime abuzu seksuál ne’e ofende Ita-nia Maromak, kauza danu fíziku, psikolójiku no espirituál ba vítima sira no fó perigu ba komunidade sarania fiar-na’in sira.”

Iha Timor-Leste Amu Bispu Norberto mak responsável atu elabora prosedimentu ne’ebé sei fó posibilidade ba ema atu hato’o keixa kazu abuzu seksuál nian ba igreja. Nia esplika katak Igreja Katólika forma ona ekipa ida ne’ebé diskute kona-ba oinsa loos sistema Timor Leste nian. “Prosedimentu ne’e tenke inklui maneira halo tratamentu ba vitima sira, no trata suspeitu sira. Amu Papa fó instrusaun klaru tebes ba ami atu serbisu hamutuk ho tribunal relevante sira ho krime sira ne’e,” dehan Norberto. Ho lalais nia sei relata ba Vatikanu. “Iha fulan Dezembru ami sei haruka ami-nia proposta Kongregasaun ba Doutrina Fé nian hodi halo revizaun. Hafoin sira sei hatete saida mak ita tenke halo,” Bispu ne’e esplika. Sistema ne’e tenke iha ona iha Juñu 2020. (Haree mós: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-motu-proprio-sex-abuse-clergy-religion-church.html)

Bispu ne’e esplika katak prosedimentu sira sei diferente uitoan iha nasaun ida-idak. “Iha Timor Leste ita kaer, hakuak no hamaus. Ne’e signifika domin ba labarik sira. Iha EUA, atu oinsa mós, ida ne’e konsidera ona nu’udár abuzu seksuál. Maibé ne’e demais liu,” nia hatete. Nasaun sira hanesan Australia, Portugal ka India bele sai inspirasaun ba Timor Leste. “Maibé ita labele tuir ema sira ne’e,” dehan Bispu. Modelu tenke bazeia ba situasaun lokal. “Ami iha lei, toman, no regra rasik,” dehan Dom Norberto.

 

Obrigasaun

Lei Amu Papa nian mós hatete katak ida ne’e nu’udár obrigasaun ba klériju hotu-hotu – mane no feto sira – katak se sira konsiente abuzu seksual ba labarik sira, iha tentativa taka husi sira-nia superior sira no mal-jestaun iha investigasaun, sira tenke “relata imediatamente” ba Igreja. Autoridade kompetente. Dioseze no kongregasaun sira ne’ebé mak investiga ona kazu sira hanesan ne’e tenke atualiza regularmente ba Vatikanu no tenke finaliza sira-nia serbisu iha fulan tolu nia laran.

Kazu Ida

Bainhira husu kona-ba kazu hira iha Timor Leste, Bispu Norberto hatete: “Iha de’it kazu ida.” Nia refere ba kazu eis Padre ho inisial RD, Amerikanu ida ne’ebé jere uma-mahon Topu Honis iha aldeia Kutet, Oecusse. Iha fulan Novembru 2018, Kongregasaun ba Doutrina Fé iha Vatikanu, ne’ebé responsavel ba kazu sira hanesan ne’e, deskobre katak R.D kulpadu ba krime sexual ba labarik idade kiik no hasai nia nu’udar Amu Lulik. “Amu Bispu Dili fó hatene ha’u: dala-ruma nia rekoñese halo, maibé iha tempu seluk nia la rekoñese,” dehan Norberto kona-ba eis Padre ne’ebé daudauk ne’e atinze ona idade tinan 82 ne’e no hatutan: “Karik tanba nia katuas ona, ne’ebé dala-ruma nia haluha.”

Maibé ninia vitima sira labele haluha. ONG Fokupers públika ona deklarasaun husi ninia vitima ida, ne’ebé deskreve abuzu orrivel (mengerikan) ne’ebé nia hasoru. Feto-raan ne’e konta oinsa nia tenke ba R.D nia kuartu no R.D ho oralmente halo violasaun ba nia. (Haree mós: https://fokupers.org/latest-news/2019/4/25/vtima-abuzu-seksul-iha-orfanatu-oecusse-konta-ninia-istria).

Tuir fonte sira katak abuzu iha Topu Honis ne’e sistemátiku no deskonfia R.D. halo abuzu seksuál ba labarik feto hotu-hotu ne’ebé hela iha uma-mahon ne’e pelumenus dala ida, halo persegisaun ba labarik vulnerável sira ne’ebé nia tau-matan ba durante tinan barak nia laran.

Semana kotuk, Tony Hamilton, ne’ebé nu’udar doadór Australia ba Topu Honis, públika karta nakloke ida hodi hato’o ninia simpatia profundu ba pesoal, labarik no foin-sa’e iha uma-mahon. Nia dehan, nia haksolok tebes vizita hela de’it sira no fó apoiu ba sira, maibé to’o iha tinan kotuk nia la hatene labarik sira hetan abuzu sexual.

Hamilton hakerek katak iha fulan Abril 2018 nia ba hasoru R.D. ne’ebé pesoalmente rekoñese ba nia dala rua katak nia halo ona abuzu sexual ba feto-raan sira iha Kutet ‘dezde uluk.. Hamilton sente eis padre ne’e trai nia. Nia haree katak laiha maneira di’ak ida so hapara haruka osan ba uma mahon ne’e, prosedimentu normal bainhira instituisaun ida “la halo buat ida atu apoiu no proteze labarik sira,” Hamilton hakerek. Se iha lider no supervizaun ne’ebé di’ak, no iha mudansa ba uma-mahon ne’e nune’e iha garantia ba seguransa no prospriedade labarik no feto sira, Hamilton sei kontinua fila fali ninia apoiu.

 

Kaptura

Fofoun, durante tinan ida nia laran, Ministériu Públiku (MP) la konsege investiga alegasaun hasoru eis padre husi Amerika ne’e, to’o sosiadade sivil sira ezije no kazu ne’e sita atensaun media internasional. Iha Abril liu ba, PNTL kaptura eis padre ne’e. Daudauk ne’e MP hala’o hela investigasaun ba kazu refere, ne’ebé ho kompleksidade aas tanba ida ne’e alegadamente relasiona ho abuzu sira ne’ebé mak akontese ona iha dékada balun nia laran no envolve labarik lubun boot ida. Maibé, R.D seidauk tama prizaun, nia hela de’it iha rezidénsia kongregasaun SVD nian iha Maliana. "Nia labele la’o ba-mai tanba nia kumpre hela detensaun domisiliar," dehan Bispu Norberto. Maibé imajen iha Instagram hatudu katak R.D. tuur hela iha kantu ida iha restaurante ida iha Maliana uza laptop, enkuantu atual Diretór Topu Honis, Liliana 'Lily' Tarung, hemu hela serveja hamutuk ho nia.

Amu-Bispu ne’e hatete nia la hatene katak iha 2014 mós frater ida, ne’ebé nu’udár diretór ba Dormitório do Lar O Bom Samaritano iha Gleno, Munisípiu Ermera, hetan kaer no prosesa tiha ona. “Deskulpa, ha’u la hatene. Ida ne’e primeira vez ha’u rona husi imi,” dehan Amu Bispu ne’e.

A.B. hetan kulpadu tanba halo abuzu seksuál ba labarik mane nain lima, no agora daudaun kumpri hela ninia sentensa ho dirasaun tinan hitu resin iha prizaun Becora, iha Dili. Inisiu tinan ne’e, ema balun koko atu husu indultu ba kondenadu frater ne’e. Wainhira Amu Bispu (Maliana) rona informasaun katak iha tinan ida ne’e balun koko atu husu Prezidente da Republika Francisco Guterres ne’ebé kuinesidu ho naran Lu-Olo, hodi fo indultu para ba kondenadu eis frater, Bispu dehan:’Nia (eis Frater) labele hetan lai tan ba ita tennke hein to’o kongregasaun dutrina da fe remata nia serbisu kona ba diretris ne’e.’

 

Mensajen

Maske Igeija katolika ho kongregasaun SVD halo ona investigasaun ba R. D no kastiga ona nia relasiona ho krime nia halo, hodi demite nia husi Padre, Leader katolika Timor Leste sei laran-rurua atu fó relatóriu públika kompleta ba populasaun sira kona-ba saida mak akontese ona iha Oecusse no seidauk to’o ba vítima sira iha ne’eba. Deklarasaun públiku sira-ne’e halo prinsipalmente hodi hatán deit ba perguntas husi jornalista sira. Foin lalais ne’e, Fokupers liu husi surat nakloke ida, husu ona ba ArceBispu iha Dili atu fo tulun ba vitima sira husi uma mahon Topu Honis no (husu ArceBispu) halo vizita ida ba labarik sira. To’o ohin loron ArceBispu seida’uk halo reasaun ba apellu ne’e.

Wainhira husu kona-ba mensajen saida mak Amu-Bispu Maliana nian hakarak atu hato’o ba vítimas abuzu seksuál nian iha jerál, Do Amaral hateten: ‘Uma-Kreda hadomi imi nafatin. Ami sei la hasai (esklui) imi husi Uma-Kreda.’ Bispu ne’e refere ba lia fuan husi Amu Papa ne’ebé dehan,’ita lamenta, husu perdaun ba sira. Hodi padre sira, madre sira ou irmaun sira maka halo bu’at ida ne’e nia naran. Ita husu perdaun ba sira.’

 

Austrália no EUA

Surpreendente tebes katak parese iha kazu rua deit mak akontese iha Timor-Leste. Iha tinan 2017 akadémikus Australianu Desmond Cahill no Peter Wilkinson (sira nain rua uluk ordena ona nu’udár amlulik maibé sai tiha husi uma-kreda iha tinan 1970 nia laran) publika sira-nia estudu internasionál kona-ba abuzu seksuál ba labarik ne’ebé komete husi amlulik, irmaun no irmán sira entre tinan 1955 no 2000. ‘Ami hetan nasaun rua deit mak iha dadus estatístika konfiável: Austrália no EUA,’ Cahill hakerek iha email ida. Númeru média ba nasaun rua ne’e mak pursentu 6 no 7 husi amu-pároku sira (ida husi amlulik nain sanulu resin-lima) mak komete abuzu seksuál hasoru labarik ki’ik. Númeru ba amlulik sira ho orden relijiozas nian ne’e ki’ik iha nasaun rua ne’e. Nia temi katak númeru abuzu husi irmaun relijiozu nian sira-ne’e ‘orrível’, jeralmente boot liu pursentu 20.

 

Labarik sira vulnerável

Cahill no nia kolega mós halo análize ba sirkunstánsia sira ne’ebé kria risku ida boot. ‘Fatór xave ida iha ne’e mak asesu ba labarik sira ne’ebé vulnerável,’ Cahill esplika. ‘Labarik ida provável liu atu hetan abuzu seksuál se bainhira nia nu’udár labarik-mane ida, liuliu nu’udár koroiñu (ajudante iha altár) ka  meninu-koru, no espesialmente liuliu se bainhira ita-boot hela iha instituisaun kuidadu rezidensiál Katóliku nian ida hanesan orfanatu ida ne’ebé administra husi amlulik ka irmaun relijiozu sira,’ Cahill esplika iha ninia email. (Hanesan akontese iha kazu rua ne’ebé mak ema hatene publikamente iha Timor-Leste). Esplika tuir kona-ba ninia perigu potensiál, professór Australianu ne’e afirma: ‘Di’ak tebes atu tau iha hanoin katak ohin loron Uma-Kreda Katólika administra instalasaun kuidadu rezidensiál ba labarik sira hamutuk 9000 resin, liuliu iha Índia no Itália. Barak mak administra husi irmaun sira envezde husi irmán sira.’ (Informasaun liutan: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2017/sep/report-lifts-lid-on-catholic-uma-Kreda-and-child-sex-abuse)

 

Eskándalu iha mundu tomak

Jeralmente sei lori tempu ida naruk molok kazu sira-ne’e públiku hatene. ‘Fatór prinsipál iha Uma-Kreda nia Amu-Bispu sira ne’ebé falun metin abuzu ne’e nu’udár forma protesaun ba Uma-Kreda nia reputasaun no mós ninia konseitu rasik kona-ba Uma-Kreda ne’ebé lulik (Uma-Kreda santísima),’ Cahill hakerek. Ne’e hetok hasusar liutan ba vítima sira atu ko’alia sai saida mak akontese ona ba sira. ‘Númeru sira Australianu nian ne’e hatudu katak vítimas Katólika nian ne’e lori, iha média, tinan 29 atu deskobre’ krime sira ne’ebé mak komete ona hasoru sira, Cahill afirma.

Iha dékada rua ikus ne’e, númeru boot ida husi eskándalu sira kona-ba nian ne’e mak revela ona prinsipalmente iha Amérika parte Norte no Sul nian, Austrália no mós nasaun Europeu oioin. Kazu ida proeminente liuhotu mak julgamentu kontra kardeál Australianu George Pell, ne’ebé mak okupa pozisaun ida topu iha Vatikanu. Nia konsidera katak kulpadu tanba halo abuzu seksuál hasoru meninu-koru nain rua no nia kondenadu ba tinan neen iha prizaun. Embora, iha nasaun lubuk ida nia laran, Uma-Kreda Katólika selu ona indenizasaun ba vítima sira.

 

‘Ha’u ne’e foun’

Amu-Bispu Maliana, ne’ebé mak asume ona knaar ne’e iha dioseze ida-ne’e dezde tinan 2010, hateten katak nia laiha koñesimentu kona-ba kazu barak tan iha Timor-Leste. ‘Ha’u foin mak sai Amu-Bispu,’ nia esplika. ‘Ide-ne’e dioseze foun. Ida-ne’e la’ós dioseze ne’ebé tuan ona. Até ha’u-nia sarani sira mós foun hotu. Tanba ne’e mak sira lafó informasaun mai ha’u. Tanba ha’u ne’e foun, sira seidauk iha konfiansa mai ha’u. To’o ohin loron laiha ema ruma mak mai hodi hato’o denúnsia mai ha’u kona-ba kazu abuzu seksuál nian. Ne’e-duni ha’u labele hateten buat ruma, tanba ha’u lahatene buat ida.’ Bispu ne’e hatutan, ‘poder ser iha abuzu sira ne’e maibe sira subar iha kotuk ha’u la hatene. Dala ruma iha maibe informasaun la tama mai ha’u.’

Nia hatene ona kona-ba orden Amu-Papa nian katak Uma-Kreda tenke simu ema ne’ebé mak mai halo denúnsia. ‘Maibé se bainhira sira nonok deit, oinsá mak ita bele prosesa kazu hirak-ne’e?’ nia haktuir.

‘Maibé se ema mai halo denúnsia ba kazu ida, dioseze sei buka meius atu prosesa ida-ne’e, tanba ne’e orden ida husi Vatikanu,’ Amu-Bispu ne’e hateten.

‘Se iha evidencia suficiente naton, ha’u sei lori keixa ne’e ba Polisia.’

Tempo Timor (Bobonaro) - The bishop of Maliana apologizes to the victims who have been sexually abused by priests, nuns and fraters. With a team he works on a system so that people can report cases of child sex abuse by the clergy to the Church. Currently he knows of only one case in Timor-Leste.

On the slopes of a hill just outside the town of Maliana lies the large white villa where bishop Norberto do Amaral lives. It is sunny, hot and quiet. Until the two dogs start barking. The bishop opens the door of his residence and agrees to an interview with Tempo Timor. Quickly he walks down a small path that takes him through the weeds and bush. Some fifteen minutes later he sits in a large black chair in the parlour of the yellow coloured diocese with pillars and red roofs. In front is a small pond with water from which a statute of Jesus rises up. The brand new buildings, paid for by the government, have only been completed some five months ago.

Last February the bishop participated in the special summit at the Vatican, which was convened by the Pope. Bishops and church leaders gathered in Rome to discuss the avalanche of cases the Catholic Church is facing in a growing number of countries where children have been sexually abused by priests, bishops, cardinals, brothers, pastors and nuns - and how to prevent these atrocities. ‘As Catholic Church we have to combat this kind of crime,’ bishop Do Amaral tells Tempo Timor, adding that because of these crimes people are now saying ‘that the Church is like Lucifer.’ 

Procedure

In May the Pope issued a new law stating that the dioceses all over the world have to set up ‘public, stable and easily accessible systems’ to make it possible for people to report sexual abuse by clerics and religious, the use of child pornography, and cover-ups of these crimes. The new rules cover clerical abuse not only against children but also vulnerable adults, adult seminarians and novices. The Pope said that ‘the crimes of sexual abuse offend Our Lord, cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful.’

In Timor-Leste bishop Do Amaral is responsible for drafting the procedure which will enable people to report sexual abuse cases in the country to the Church. He explains that the Catholic Church has formed a team that discusses how the system in Timor-Leste should look like. ‘The procedure has to include how to deal with victims and how to take care of the suspect. The Pope gave us clear instructions to work closely with the courts with regard to these crimes,’ says Do Amaral. Soon he will report to the Vatican. ‘In December we will send our proposal to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for them to review. Then they will say what we have to do,’ Do Amaral explains. The system needs to be in place in June 2020. (See also: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-motu-proprio-sex-abuse-clergy-religious-church.html)

The bishop explains that the procedures will slightly differ in each country. ‘In Timor-Leste we touch, hug and caress. It means love to the children. In the USA, however, that is already considered sexual abuse. But that’s too much,’ he says. Countries like for instance Australia, Portugal or India can be an inspiration for Timor-Leste. ‘But we shouldn’t follow these people’s ass,’ states the bishop. The model has to fit the local circumstances. ‘We have our own laws, customs and rules,’ Do Amaral says.

Obligation

The Pope’s law also says that it is an obligation for all clerics – men and women – that if they are aware of sexual abuse against children, cover-ups by their superiors and mismanagement of investigations, they have to ‘report promptly’ to the Church authorities. The dioceses and congregations that are already investigating such cases have to update the Vatican regularly and have to complete their work within three months.

One case

When asked how many cases there are in Timor-Leste, bishop Do Amaral says: ‘There is only one case.’ He refers to the former priest R.D., an American who ran the shelter Topu Honis in the hamlet of Kutet in the enclave of Oecusse. In November 2018 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is responsible at the Vatican for handling these cases, found R.D. guilty of sexual crimes against minors and dismissed him as a priest. ‘The bishop of Dili told me: sometimes he confesses that he did it, but at other times he didn’t confess,’ says Do Amaral about the ex-priest who is now 82 years old, adding: ‘It might be because of his old age, that he sometimes forgets.’

But his victims can’t forget. The Timorese NGO Fokupers has published a statement of one of his victims, who describes the horrific abuse she was subjected to. The girl tells how she had to come in his bedroom where R.D. orally raped her. (See: https://fokupers.org/latest-news/2019/4/25/vtima-abuzu-seksul-iha-orfanatu-oecusse-konta-ninia-istria) According to sources the abuse at Topu Honis was systematic with R.D. allegedly sexually abusing every single young girl in the shelter at least once, molesting vulnerable children who were under his care for many years.

Last week Tony Hamilton, who is an Australian donor of Topu Honis, published an heartfelt open letter expressing his deepest sympathy to the staff, children and youth at the shelter. He tells how happy he always was to be able to visit and support them, but that until last year he didn’t know children were abused. Hamilton writes that in April 2018 he went to see R.D., who admitted twice to him personally that he had sexually molested young girls in Kutet ‘for a long time.’ Hamilton feels utterly betrayed by the ex-priest. He saw no other way than to stop sending money to the shelter, a normal procedure when an institution ‘does nothing to support and protect the children,’ Hamilton writes. If there is good new professional leadership and oversight, and the shelter is transformed so that the safety and wellbeing of the children and women is guaranteed, Hamilton will donate money again.

Arrest

At first, for a whole year, the prosecution in Timor-Leste didn’t investigate the allegations against the American ex-priest, until civil society pushed for it and the case drew international media attention. Last April the Timorese police arrested the former priest. Currently the prosecution is investigating the case, which is of high complexity as it allegedly relates to abuses spanning decades and involving a large number of children. R.D. has, however, not been put in prison, but stays in the residence of the SVD congregation in Maliana. ‘He can’t go around, because he is under house-arrest,’ states bishop Do Amaral. But a picture on Instagram shows R.D. in a corner in a restaurant in Maliana using a laptop, while the current director of Topu Honis, Ms. Liliana ‘Lily’ Tarung, is with him enjoying a beer.

The bishop says he is not aware that in 2014 also a frater, who was the director of the Dormitório do Lar O Bom Samaritano in Gleno, in the district of Ermera, was arrested and prosecuted. ‘Sorry, I don’t know. It is the first time I hear about this,’ says the bishop. A.B. was found guilty of sexually abusing five boys and is now serving a sentence of more than seven years in the prison of Becora, in Dili. Earlier this year there was an attempt to request a pardon for the frater. When the bishop hears that this year a request to pardon the convicted frater was submitted to President Francisco Guterres, popularly known as Lú-Olo, he says: ‘He shouldn’t get it because we have to wait until the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith finishes its work on the procedure.’

Message

Although the Catholic Church and SVD congregation did investigate the allegations against R.D. and punished him for his crimes by dismissing him as a priest, the Timorese Church leaders have been reluctant to give a full public account to the population about what happened in Oecusse and haven’t reached out to the victims there. Public statements have mostly been made in response to questions by journalists. Recently Fokupers asked the Archbishop in Dili in an open letter to support the victims of Topu Honis shelter and to visit them. So far the Archbishop hasn’t reacted to the call.

When asked what message the Maliana bishop has for victims of clerical sexual abuse in general, Do Amaral says: ‘The Church will always love you. We will not exclude you from the Church.’ He refers to the words of the Pope saying: ‘We apologize to them on behalf of those priests, nuns, or fraters who committed those crimes. We have to ask them forgiveness.’ The bishop stresses that the Church has to ‘make an effort to rehabilitate the victims. They need to get medical and psychological care for trauma healing and counselling.’

Australia and USA

It is striking that there seem to be just two cases in Timor-Leste. In 2017 the Australian academics Desmond Cahill and Peter Wilkinson (both are ordained priests who left the church in the 1970’s) published their international study about sexual child abuse by priests, brothers and nuns between 1955 and 2000. ‘We have only two countries where we have reliable statistics: Australia and the USA,’ writes Cahill in an email. The average figure for both countries is that 6 to 7 per cent of the parish priests (one in fifteen priests) committed sexual abuse against minors. The figure for religious order priests is lower in both countries. He calls the abuse figures for religious brothers ‘horrendous’, usually above 20 per cent.

Vulnerable children

Cahill and his colleague also looked at the circumstances that create a higher risk. ‘One key factor here is access to vulnerable children,’ Cahill explains. ‘A child was more likely to be abused sexually if it was a boy, especially an altar boy or choir boy, and most especially if you were in a Catholic residential care institution such as an orphanage run by priests or religious brothers,’ Cahill explained in his email. (As happened in the two cases that are publicly known in Timor-Leste). Explaining the potential danger, the Australian professor states: ‘It is well to remember that today the Catholic Church runs over 9000 residential care facilities for children, especially in India and Italy. Many are run by religious brothers rather than by nuns.’ (More information: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2017/sep/report-lifts-lid-on-catholic-church-and-child-sex-abuse)

Scandals worldwide

In general it takes a long time before cases come to light. ‘The major factor in the Church’s bishops covering the abuse up was protection of the Church’s reputation and its self-concept as an all-holy Church,’ writes Cahill. It makes it even harder for victims to tell what happened to them. ‘The Australian figures show that Catholic victims took on average 29 years to disclose’ the crimes committed against them, states Cahill.

In the last two decades a large number of church abuse scandals have been revealed in mainly North and South America, Australia and several European countries. The most prominent case has been the trial against the Australian cardinal George Pell, who had a top position at the Vatican. He has been found guilty of sexual abusing two choir boys and has been sentenced to six years in prison. Meanwhile, in a number of countries the Catholic Church has been paying compensation to victims.

‘I am new’

The bishop of Maliana, who has been in this position at this diocese since 2010, says he is not aware of more cases in Timor-Leste. ‘I only just became a bishop,’ he explains. ‘This diocese is new. This is not an old diocese. Even my people are also new. That’s why they don’t give me information. Because I am new, they don’t have the trust yet. Until today nobody came to report a sexual abuse case to me. So I can’t say anything, because I don’t know anything.’ He adds: ‘Maybe there are some cases, but they hide it.’

He is aware of the Pope’s order that the Church has to receive people who come to report. ‘But if they remain silent, how can we process those cases?’ he states.

‘But if people come to report a case, the diocese will find a way to process it, as this is an order from the Vatican,’ the bishop says. If there is enough evidence ‘I will report it to the police.’

Darwin_Optic

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