Scicluna Is the Right Promoter

Sunday Times
October 7, 2012

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121007/editorial/Scicluna-is-the-right-promoter.439916

News of Mgr Charles Scicluna's nomination as Malta's new Auxiliary Bishop came as a bolt out of the blue for many outside and even inside Church circles. However, it is a strike that can only be highly commended.

Mgr Scicluna is not an ordinary priest, if indeed there is such a thing as an ordinary priest. He is one who knows the corridors of Rome probably better than he knows them in Floriana. He is an achiever, a doer and a highly accomplished speaker.

Very much as his soon-to-be-vacated role at the Vatican implies, he is also a promoter. In many senses.

Mgr Scicluna cannot be pigeonholed as conservative or liberal, because he is neither. He is simply staunchly committed to the Church. He promoted the cause of San Ġorġ Preca. Yet he has never been afraid to be critical of the institution if he believes it has not served its people.

When the Church was drowning over its handling of clerical child abuse cases, he was among the first to ensure it remained on the surface. Boldly, he warned the institution not to hide behind a culture of "omerta". Mgr Scicluna said "truth is at the basis of justice".

He continued: "Enemies of the truth are the deliberate denial of known facts and the misplaced concern that the good name of the institution should somehow enjoy absolute priority to the detriment of disclosure."

That, in a nutshell, is what he is about. This is a man who has always understood the necessity of engaging the media, even if the media are hostile, and he has done it in a way that has earned him respect. He is articulate, talks the language of laymen – not that of priests indulging in sermons – and paints pictures very much as he sees them.

Someone with these qualities would be an asset to any institution, but his arrival on home soil at this point in time is a particularly welcome development for the Maltese Church – which, with perhaps the best of intentions, has struggled somewhat to communicate its message in a manner people can appreciate and understand.

If the debate about the Church organised by The Times last week showed one thing, it is that a number of people still want to discuss the Church. Perhaps more significantly, it showed that priests want to form part of this discussion too even if they do not necessarily agree with one another on the way forward. Mgr Scicluna is a person who can enhance this atmosphere and offer sound advice on how to go about this process.

Some may question whether a man from the Roman Curia, and another Canon lawyer at that, has the necessary understanding of pastoral matters. There are certainly priests with more experience in this field, but Mgr Scicluna has never strayed from this – visiting his home-village Lija at every available opportunity and playing a part in parishioners' lives there too. He will no doubt embrace this aspect with his customary gusto.

But to succeed in his new role he will need support; from laypeople, the media, and of course, from his colleagues – even if they do not always like what he has to say. Mgr Scicluna will know that the roads in this country are not always smooth.

On our part we wish him all the very best, in the firm belief that Rome's loss is most definitely Malta's gain.