Archbishop Paul Cremona’s first five years

It is now five years since Archbishop Paul Cremona OP became the head of the Archdiocese of Malta. His appointment was announced on December 2, 2006 and he was ordained bishop on January 26, 2007.

His appointment had been enthusiastically received by the people. Many looked forward to a fresh revitalisation of the Church in Malta and expectations were very high. That meant widespread support but also a lot of pressure on Archbishop Cremona.

The past five years were far from a bed of roses both for him and the Church. Many and varied have been the challenges. These include the financial worries experienced by the Archdiocese and the need to find the right successor to Auxiliary Bishop Annetto Depasquale.

However, the biggest headaches are mainly of a pastoral nature and go beyond the need to restore the true nature of religious feasts. Of course, one of the most heart-rending problems the Church has been dealing with is the sexual abuse of minors by clerics.

The wounds caused by the sad experiences that have surfaced run deep. They present a formidable task to rebuild credibility, confidence and trust where these have been damaged.

People still wonder what fresh projections the Church has towards clearer and firmer transparent actions to invariably protect children from the danger of shameful transgressions by members of the priesthood;, very few of them, one must hesitate to add.

The biggest burden that Archbishop Cremona has had to face so far, however, must have been the big blow the introduction of divorce means to the pastoral mission of the Church.

Various questions crop up about the quality and effectiveness of his direction during the crucial divorce referendum campaign. Many believe the Church was caught on one foot. Its pastoral and communication strategies during the referendum debate appeared weak, failed to present a sufficiently clear and persuasive direction and not all clerics managed to speak with one voice.

The result was a state of confusion that left its mark.

Society is living in an era of religious indifference. It is on the doorstep of a total separation between the traditional and religious concepts of marriage and the so-called new family model proposed not only by the post-modern culture but also by what gradually might become a divorce mentality.

This presents an enormous challenge for the Church also because ours forms part of a Western society, which, in matters of social mores, sexuality and marriage is effectively within a permissive culture where subjective or partial values are exalted and, in reality, are not experienced at an ethical level. Moreover, there exists the idea that Catholicism is merely “a collection of prohibitions”.

In their Advent pastoral letter, the bishops spoke on the need of a renewal that must also be exercised with regard to “the relationship between the ecclesial community and the world around us since, today, this world is made up of citizens who all have different spiritual and ideological beliefs”.

What the bishops have in mind is a kind of renewal that “will urge us to shift from our present standpoint and move forward, rather than simply going around in circles”.

The Church knows that the way forward has to be through a new evangelisation.

What is also required is a pastoral leadership committed to communicate the Christian faith in today’s ever-changing culture clearly, boldly and effectively in a new language. It must be a language that the people of today understand.