[PHOTOS] Mgr Charles Scicluna ordained as Auxiliary Bishop

Mgr Charles Scicluna, former Promoter of Justice at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, was ordained Auxiliary Bishop for Malta on Saturday morning at St John's co-Cathedral in Valletta. He will be Archbishop Paul Cremona's right hand man.

Photography by Ray Attard

11:46am As the ceremony comes to an end, Scicluna holds a brief address to the congregation.

In an ironic comment, the new pint-sized Auxiliary Bishop says that he will hold a short speech and added "don't expect anything long from me."

Scicluna said "I promise that together we will work for the good of the Maltese and Gozitans."

Thanking Cardinal Prospero Grech, Mgr Scicluna turned to Archbishop Cremona and said: "You're doing well...You already ordained two persons," referring to himself and Prospero Grech.

He also thanked his parents who he described as his "creators" and his relatives.

In his concluding remarks, Scicluna reiterated that "in God's name I promise to give my life to you."

10:53am Scicluna is annointed and vested with the mitre, ring and crosier. The new Auxiliary Bishop is now recieving congratulations from his fellow bishops and other colleagues.

10:42am The solemn ceremony proceeds, with Archbishop Cremona now reading the ceremonial rites in Latin as Mgr Scicluna is on his knees and a bible is held over his head. Cremona blesses Mgr Scicluna.

10:20am Archbishop Cremona is in the process of ordaining Mgr Scicluna as Auxiliary Bishop. Mgr Scicluna is laying face down on the altar as the litany of saints is read out.

10:09am Archbishop Cremona addresses the congregation following the reading of the decree appointing Mgr Scicluna as Auxiliary Bishop for Malta.

"Dear Monsignor Scicluna, our dignity as bishops derived from the fact that we are at the service of the dignity of the people entrusted to our care. Our dignity as bishops does not only come from our ministry to human beings. It ultimately comes from God who has entrusted the Church with the necessary means and graces to dad humanity to himself. This is the mission of the Church, because the Church is the go-between God and all men. It is the continuation if the mission our Lord Jesus Christ in every place and throughout time."
 
Cremona adds "The Bishop's is not a personal dignity: it is given to him for others, it is a great dignity and a great responsibility which the Church entrusts primarily to Bishops in a specific place and entrusts them with the sacraments and the World of God."
 
"The Lord does not choose us because he finds us worth; if he did he would not have chosen fishermen and publicans as his apostles. He chooses us so that the Spirit may from us serve his people. The Episcopate is not a point of arrival but a way of perfection for those chosen."

Cremona thanks the Pope for sending such an able person to assist him in leading the Maltese church.

9:49am The concelebrating priests walked up the aisle in procession through the cathedral up to the altar.

The Archbishop Cremona and Mgr Scicluna went in procession to the place of reservation of the blessed sacrament and prayed there for a short time before they went to the sacristy. Mgr Scicluna was between the priests assisting him followed by the ordained bishops, the principal ordaining bishop and two deacons assisting him. The liturgy, the psalm and the second reading were read out by Scicluna's nephews and relatives.

9:38am Archbishop Paul Cremono enters St John's and commences the solemn ceremony.

9:36am The Bishop's ring is a gift from the Malta archdiocese. In the liturgical form, the ring represents the loyalty of the bishop towards the Church. In the past, the ring would be given as a sign of respect to mark his official documents and as a symbol of the commitment of the bishop towards his diocese.

The mitre is a gift from the nuns community in Rome, of which he is chaplain. The mitre represents the bishop's enthusiasm to walk towards the path of sainthood.

The crosier is a present from the Lija parish, where Mgr Scicluna lives with his parents. The crosier reminds that the bishop is the shepherd taking care of his flock.

The cross around Mgr Scicluna's neck was given as a gift from his relatives.

9:25am President George Abela arrives at St John's and takes his place at the front of the congregation, which includes two Cardinals, a number of Bishops and former Presidents Eddie Fenech Adami and Ugo Mifsud Bonnici. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and wife Kate, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat and newly appointed EU commissioner Tonio Borg are also present.