'He was love': Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona laid to rest

Updated 11.35am

Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona was given a final farewell at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta on Saturday, four days after he died aged 79. 

Cremona led Malta's church between January 2007 and October 2014, when he stepped aside for health reasons.  

In a funeral homily, his successor Archbishop Charles Scicluna described Cremona as love personified. 

The Church in Malta would not forget Mgr Cremona’s words: “Ħabbejtkom u ħabbejtuni” [I loved you and you loved me], Scicluna told the congregation.

“It was easy to love him because he was love,” Archbishop Scicluna said, describing his predecessor as a man with a sweet and humble heart and likening him to Pope John XXIII, known as the ‘Good Pope’

Saturday’s funeral Mass - organised jointly by the Church and Maltese state - capped a series of commemorative events held between Thursday and Saturday to honour Cremona. 

Among those attending were President Myriam Spiteri Debono and her husband Anthony, Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia, Opposition leader Bernard Grech with his wife, AnneMarie, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti and Cardinal Mario Grech. Ministers, permanent secretaries, and members of Parliament from both sides of the aisle were also present. So too were former presidents Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and George Abela and former prime ministers Joseph Muscat and Lawrence Gonzi. 

Cremona's coffin at St John's Co-Cathedral. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Funeral mass

The mass began with the singing of Gregorian chants. The first reading was from the Book of Job and was read by Sister Maryann Cardona from the Dominican Order. The second reading was from the Letters of St Paul and was read by a close friend of Cremona, Michael Zammit.  The gospel of St Matthew was read by Jesmond Schembri, from the Greek-Catholic parish in Malta.

Archbishop Scicluna noted that Saturday happened to be a special day for Cremona, who was ordained as a priest on March 22, 1969.

The Co-Cathedral was packed for the Saturday morning event. Photo: DOI/Kian Bugeja

He thanked Mgr Cremona for his warmth and for the way he made everyone feel at ease. “He remains alive in all of us,” the Archbishop added.

In a final tribute, Archbishop Scicluna echoed words from Mgr Cremona’s first homily as bishop in 2007, recalling how he had appealed to the faithful to accompany him in prayer.

At the time, Mgr Cremona had asked married couples and their children to pray for him, for young people to find joy in God, for the sick to be relieved of suffering, “and for all members of the Church to be close to me in this journey.”

A procession leads Cremona's coffin down Republic Street in Valletta. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The offertory was presented by members of Mgr Cremona’s family, including his sister, sister-in-law and nephews, while the choir sang the solemn funeral chant Domine Jesu Christe.

Fr Vince Micallef, Provincial of the Maltese Dominican Province, told attendees: “Mgr Cremona loved everyone, and that was why we all loved him.”

A message of condolence from Pope Francis was also read during the ceremony by Mgr Savio Hon Tai-Fai, Apostolic Nuncio to Malta.

At the end of the mass, the congregation burst into applause. And as the coffin was carried outside, hands from worshippers reached out to touch it, and pay the man who liked to be called Patri Pawl ('Father Paul') a final farewell. 

The coffin was then carried through Republic Street to the entrance of Valletta, and as the procession moved through the capital city, people threw flowers from their balconies. 

Archbishop Charles Scicluna led the funeral mass. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Having reached Valletta’s entrance, the coffin was placed in a hearse and then driven to Rabat, where Cremona will be buried in a private burial.

In tribute to him, church bells will ring in unison at noon all across Malta. In addition, all flags on public and ecclesiastical buildings are being flown at half-mast throughout the day as a sign of mourning and respect.