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Maltese would have ‘killed’ me if I didn’t accept, Cardinal tells Bertone on the phone
‘My fellow Maltese would have killed me if I hadn’t accepted to be their first Cardinal in almost 200 years’ Cardinal Prospero Grech reveals to have told Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone over the phone.
21 February 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
Cardinal Prospero Grech
Cardinal Propero Grech has joked about what went through his mind the day he received Pope Benedict XVI invitation for elevation to Cardinal.
Speaking to the Vatican's daily organ L' Avvenire, the newly appointed Cardinal said that while he had a moment of doubt when he received a phone call from Cardinal Bertone telling him he would be made Cardinal, he paused for a minute and told the secretary of state: "If I said no, what would the Maltese say? ...they would surely kill me after almost 200 years waiting to have a native Cardinal."
Cardinal Grech also joked about his Agostinian superiors who would have insisted to have a representative within the Vatican's Sacred Palaces. The last Cardinal from the Order of St. Augustine was Sebastiano Martinelli from Tuscany.
Grech, who besides being a respected theologian and known for his passion for photography, says that his wish is to one day be the one who signs Pope Benedict XVI's official photograph.
The newly elevated Cardinal says that despite his old age, he still belives that his mission as Cardinal will "surely not be a sterile one."
Cardinal Grech intends to focus on the Pope's mission to strengthen the Church through its lay structures. "I expect to work hard on the promotion for the renewal of evangelisation," he said.
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Looking at my previous post, i now realise that I was unfair to the 'Prince'. True i may not have heard of him until this month - but they put up billboards up at what i assume is considerable cost - all for my enlightenment.
Strange though i had not heard of him before. Did he maybe take a stance on Malta's decades of support for the Geddafi regime of torture and public hangings? Or he saved children from being molested. Maybe he worked hard to reduce corruption and injustices in Malta? Protected the refugees maybe or took up the Palestinian cause? Did he travel to Mexico 'voluntarily' to risk his life fighting drug lords?
Truly there is no lack of work for those who would do God's work. Can someone please put up some more billboards to explain what the prince had achieved? Maybe a footnote on the current billboard design ?
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Charming choice of words. Well Malta had to be rewarded for surrounding the pope with 500 children on his first foreign trip when the controversy over shameful child molestation broke out. One is reminded that the current pope played THE key role in the cover up that left hundreds on children exposed to further abuse.
The more i see of the roman catholic church, the less i see of god.
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While I'm not a fan of the Roman Catholic church, I congratulate Cardinal Grech for his elevation to Cardinal. It's a very respected and high position within the Roman Catholic church. From what I have read about Cardinal Grech, he surely deserved this nomination, especially for the effort he made during the 60's politico-religious clash, which left many Maltese deeply hurt. He worked from behind the scenes to solve the most sensitive issue that the Maltese faced in recent history. The church's position was completly WRONG, but not all members within the church agreed with it's disgusting position.
@ xifajk.....We already had a pope........EFA was the one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Its 2012 not 1960 dear Cardinal Grech. I can assure you that if a survey is held it would be a surprise if 1 in 7 knows about this. IF it was not for the billboards it would have been 1 in 25.
Anyway wish you all the best even if the purpose of appointing cardinals who cannot take part in a future conclave i cannot understand at all.
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I am proud we Maltese have a Maltese Cardinal. Hopefully one day we will also have a Maltese Pope. I humbly ask Cardinal Prospero Grech to Celebrate the Holy Mass at the Adolorata Cemetry in honour of all those who were buried in the then called "Mizbla"
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Who cares!!
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Cardinal Prospero Grech surely must know that we already have another cardinal, that is Richard Cachia Caruana, anyway that is how he's known in gonzipn's circles.
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We atheists would have protected you and granted you political asylum :D
