It is now five years since Archbishop Joseph Mercieca returned to the heavenly House of the Father, on March 21, 2016.
Throughout his three decades at the helm of the Church in Malta, Archbishop Mercieca was an excellent example of a wise, prudent, humble and gentle pastor who primarily sought to communicate and give witness to Christ, promote evangelical values and the Church’s social teaching, strive for the common good and invariably be an instrument of fraternity and unity.
As Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna said during his predecessor’s funeral Mass, Mgr Mercieca was “a pastor for all seasons” who showed great courage when he needed to do so even in the face of violence and persecution, remaining a father to everyone, without exception. “He was not an extraordinary orator but his word was essential. What attracted people to him was his love for everyone, especially for the sick and weak.”
The Church schools and Church property crisis of the 1980s was certainly the biggest test of Mgr Mercieca’s leadership qualities. He had to bear, among so many other strains, a massive spate of misinformation, misinterpretation, provocation, vilification and hostility. Yet, he stood his ground with all the human and spiritual dignity his pastoral leadership required of him for the ultimate benefit of the Church and society as a whole.
Inspired by his motto, ‘We are all brethren in Christ’, Mgr Mercieca constantly advocated love and unity. He invariably preached, by word and deed, against division and all sorts of violence. Although incitement and violence were repeatedly used against him, he remained calm and used to suffer everything in silence. He continued to preach forgiveness and condemning every form of retaliation to provocation and violence. His ultimate aim was to strive for just and durable solutions for the good of all, through civil dialogue.
His fine mind, spirit of self-sacrifice, sense of optimism and warm heart knew when to remain hushed, when to speak and what to say. It was through, and as a direct result of, his sage, realistic and forward-looking leadership that things did not escalate into some terribly grave twist in the country. When the sea used to be very rough, he knew how to unwearyingly wait until it calms down before making the next move. He never panicked. His determination was to strive for reconciliation through proper and workable solutions.
As head of the Church in Malta, Archbishop Mercieca piloted, among other initiatives, the setting up of the Archdiocese’s various secretariats and commissions, the publication for the first time of the Church’s aggregated financial accounts and the signing of the Church-State agreements on Church schools and Church property.
The Church schools and Church property crisis of the 1980s was certainly the biggest test of Mgr Joseph Mercieca’s leadership qualities- Charles Buttigieg
The highlight of Archbishop Mercieca’s final years as head of the Archdiocese, however, was and remains the unprecedented exercise of the 1999-2003 diocesan synod, which he envisaged as a time of renewal for the Church in Malta.
Announcing the findings of the synod and the plans for their implementation, way back in 2003, Archbishop Mercieca indicated what may be considered as the pastoral road map he wished to propose for the future of the Church in Malta.
Archbishop Mercieca saw the synod as an inspired encouragement to God’s people in Malta “to be a Church that always works with a spirit of service, which means that we must also work for a just society. It encourages us to work with a spirit of solidarity, giving special attention to those who have moved away from the Church or who feel they are not accepted fully.”
Mgr Mercieca consistently sought to preach the Gospel and the teachings of the Church according to the signs of the times. His priorities included marriage and the family. His love for the family was a hallmark of his episcopate and marked it till the very end of his pastoral mission. Time and again he encouraged social legislation and policy to support the durability of marriage and to protect the family and its unity always better.
The family was also at the heart of his January 2007 Thanksgiving Mass. He called upon society to understand and value the deep mystery of marriage between a man and a woman. He also appealed to promote marriages that endure and strive for steadfast families.
Mgr Mercieca strongly held that, although many things change in cultural and social evolution, it remains a fact that it is woman who conceives, carries and delivers the children of men. He further believed that, in calling woman to motherhood, God entrusted the human being to her in an entirely special way.
Since 2007, when his service as head of the Archdiocese came to an end, Mgr Mercieca had the opportunity to concentrate better on the pastoral work that was very close to his heart, primarily being close as much as possible to the sick and the afflicted, who were always very dear to him.
For many, many years he used to make it a point to regularly visit hospitalised or home- bound people. In his own unassuming, gentle and humble way, Mgr Mercieca continued to give true witness to his profound belief that, whoever one may be and whatever one may have gone through in one’s life, God and Christ’s Church remain with their arms wide open to embrace one anew.
Charles Buttigieg is a former public relations officer, Curia and former Refugee Commissioner.