Bishop Scicluna urges faithful to ‘welcome positively’ new Archbishop

Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna called on the faithful to keep praying for the new leader of the Diocese of Malta, urging them to prepare for the new Archbishop with a “positive outlook”.

In his pastoral letter marking the start of Holy Lent, Scicluna said the Maltese Church was currently fasting as it awaits the nomination of its new leader.

“On one occasion, the Pharisees and Scribes questioned Jesus as to why his disciples were not fasting. Jesus answered, ‘Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast’.

“When I take into consideration the present circumstances of the Church in Malta, this analogy of Jesus often comes to mind. Our bridegroom was taken away and now we are awaiting the nomination of a new Archbishop who represents Jesus, the bridegroom of the Church, in our midst. For this reason, this moment is like a moment of fasting.”

On 18 October 2014, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona. On that same day, Scicluna was nominated as Apostoli Administrator and the time of prayer and waiting started for the Maltese Diocese.

Scicluna said that the faithful had to pray fervently, considered to be a form of waiting for the new leader.

“When we pray for the grace of a new Archbishop, we are in fact acknowledging in full faith that this is a gift which comes from the hands of God. This prayer must be offered with faith in the goodness of God our Father, in serenity and without troubled hearts and undue worry. In this way, our prayer and waiting will reflect a mature detachment that will help us accept that the person who will be nominated is a gift from God, which person we will welcome.”

Acknowledging that no one knew who the new Archbishop was going to be, Scicluna urged his listeners to prepare themselves “to adopt a positive outlook towards him”.

“Basically, we need to look at Jesus, the Good Shepherd, because he is in fact our Shepherd. I can look at the chosen one and say ‘I do not like him very much’ or ‘he does not really appeal to me’, yet a mature faith compels me to look at him and say ‘Jesus is speaking to me through him, Jesus is guiding me through him because Jesus is the Shepherd’.

“This attitude of anticipation translates into a faithful commitment, a commitment in which there is no room for discouragement. At the same time, this attitude sets us free, allowing us to be sons and daughters, not bound to the person of the Archbishop, but to Jesus Christ. Whoever our Archbishop shall be, I will look at Christ, because he is the one who leads me and guides me.”