Malta Catholic Church apologies after priests' abuse conviction

The Catholic Church in Malta issued a formal apology on Wednesday, a day after two priests were handed prison sentences for sexually abusing minors at an orphanage in the late 1980s dpa reported

"The Maltese church expresses its profound grief that children under its care have been abused. We ask for forgiveness for this abuse," it said in a statement.

Father Charles Pulis and Father Godwin Scerri were jailed on Tuesday for six and five years respectively after being convicted of abusing 11 boys in their care. The victims were aged from 13 to 16.

A third suspect in the case, 63-year-old Father Joe Bonett, had died in January.

In its statement, the church urged anyone who may know of similar cases of abuse to report them immediately.

The church also apologised for investigations having taken so long to reach a conclusion.

The case against the three priests first came to light in 2003 when one of the victims, Lawrence Grech, decided to break his silence.

Grech and seven other victims met privately with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Malta in April 2010. The pontiff at the time expressed "shame and sorrow" and promised effective measures to protect young people in the future.

The church said the Archbishop of Malta, Paul Cremona, intends to meet the victims again to personally ask for forgiveness.