Pope Francis and his connection with 'luminous' Malta
Pontiff had a close relationship with Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Cardinal Mario Grech
Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, enjoyed a close connection with Malta, visiting the country in 2022, and holding a close relationship with Malta's two top clerics throughout his 12-year term as head of the Catholic Church.
Francis was given a warm welcome when he visited Malta and Gozo on April 2 and 3, 2022. He met the political leaders at the President’s Palace in Valletta and visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu in Gozo, St Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, the Floriana Granaries to celebrate Sunday Mass, and the Peace Lab in Ħal Far, where he met migrants.
“In Malta, where the luminous beauty of the landscape alleviates difficulties, creation appears as the gift that, amid the trials of history and life, reminds us of the beauty of our life on earth,” he had said during his visit.
Pope Francis in Grand Harbour on his way to Gozo in 2022. (AFP)The pope had a close relationship with Archbishop Charles Scicluna, appointing him to several significant positions within the Vatican. In 2015, Scicluna was named President of the College for the Examination of Appeals within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, overseeing appeals in serious offence cases.
In 2018, the Maltese archbishop was appointed Adjunct Secretary of the same congregation, granting him a leading role in the Church's efforts to address abuse and protect minors.
In 2023, Pope Francis again turned to Archbishop Scicluna to lead an investigation into the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a lay society in Peru facing serious abuse allegations.
Significantly for Malta, Francis in 2020 appointed Gozo Bishop Mario Grech as general secretary of the Synod of Bishops and created him a cardinal. Grech became only the third Maltese person in history to hold the position.
Grech will be the first Maltese to vote at a conclave to appoint a new pope in almost two centuries. The only previous Maltese to enjoy that privilege was Cardinal Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata (1757-1843). The other Maltese cardinal, Prospero Grech, was too old to participate in a conclave. He passed away in 2019.
Several leading voices in the Vatican have placed Cardinal Mario Grech among the top cardinals seen as a successor.
Mario Grech was created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020. AFP.