Preparations are under way for the Malta funeral of Cardinal Prospero Grech, who died on December 30 in Rome, a few days after his 94th birthday.
Cardinal Grech’s funeral was held last week at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome after a Vatican official signed the traditional Rogito - a testament to his life that will be placed inside the coffin.
At the end of the Mass, attended by President George Vella and his wife Miriam, Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela and Malta’s ambassador to the Vatican, Frank Zammit, Pope Francis presided over the final part of the funeral rites.
The funeral Mass was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the vice-dean of the College of Cardinals. Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Bishop Mario Grech were also present.
The corpse of the Maltese Cardinal will be brought to Malta on Wednesday afternoon. At 4.30pm, the cortege will arrive at St Lawrence church in Vittoriosa, where he was born and baptised.
The cortege will then make its way to the Augustinian convent of St Mark in Rabat at 6pm. The convent will not be open to the public at that time.
On Thursday, the corpse of Cardinal Grech will lie in state so that people can pay their last respects and sign the book of condolences.
At noon, churches around Malta and Gozo will sound their bells in a funeral toll.
At 1.40pm, the coffin will make its way to the Mdina cathedral where a Mass praesente cadavere will be celebrated by Archbishop Charles Scicluna at 2pm.
It will be concelebrated by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Allessandro D’Errico, Apostolic Administrator for Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, and Bishop Emeritus of Garissa in Kenya Pawlu Darmanin.
The Augustinian Order will be represented by Vicar General Friar Joseph Farrell, along with Assistant General Friar Edward Daleng. The Maltese Augustinian Province will be represented by Augustinian Provincial Leslie Gatt and a number of other members of the Augustinian clergy.
Friar Alexander Longs will be representing the community of Santa Monika in Rome where the Cardinal lived for over 60 years.
The congregation will be led by President George Vella and a private burial will take place after mass.
The Maltese Augustinian Province said that instead of flowers, donations are made to the Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi or to the Secretariat for Augustinian Missions.
Who was Prospero Grech?
Born Stanley Grech, Cardinal Grech turned 94 on Christmas Eve and died on December 30. He joined the Augustinian Order in 1943, was ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome in 1950.
Nine years later, he was appointed lecturer at the Augustinian Theological College, Rabat. He also served as secretary at the Vatican Vicariate and professor at the Augustine Institute in Rome.
During his time in Rome, one of his duties included dressing Pope John XXIII and Paul VI for liturgical functions. During the 1963 Papal conclave, he was asked to hear Giovanni Battista Montini's confession a couple of hours prior to his election as Pope Paul VI.
The College of Cardinals is now composed of 223 cardinals from 24 religious orders and 90 countries, including 25 European countries.