Who will be the next Archbishop of Malta and the new Bishop of Gozo? Only the privileged few know. During this ecclesiastical winter I firmly believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, in whom I have full trust. But episcopal choices are made about human beings by fellow human beings, some of whom tend to give more than a helping hand either through conviction or chagrin.

Every name publicly mentioned is filtered through a web of love and dedication until character assassination would knock him, definitely not her, to the dust-heap of history of a would-be, could-be.

I often struggle to convince my fellow priests, and other cynics, that the vast majority of Maltese and Gozitan priests do not want to be neither a bishop nor an archbishop. This may be difficult for some people to believe, but it's true. The priests mentioned as possible successors of Mgr Mercieca and Mgr Cauchi are good priests, not perfect, but good, dedicated priests. It is unfair and unjust that they have to endure public scrutiny for something they did not seek or ask for.

Evidently, an eerie atmosphere of concealment and confidentiality gives rise to the worst in an island mentality. Yet very soon speeches would be publicly delivered. They would definitely include a Te Deum and thanksgiving to friends and foes alike.

Tentative hints of evaluation of a closing era and ecclesiastical heritage would be proposed by those chosen. The rest would follow. These would include the convinced faithful, those who are in the know, and those who serve quietly, behind the stage, who learned obedience, though not of the blind sort.

We'll soon hear about forgiveness, pure and good intentions, doing one's best to serve the Lord. Obviously, there have been those who understood and those who didn't. Those who had their bed completed with roses and those who, embodied in Fr Ryan, exemplify Dante's famous dictum: Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura ché la diritta via era smarrita. In the midst of festivities, laudatory orations and tears there would not be neither time nor space to recall Fr Ryan's plight. Fr Ryan's Inferno is an obligatory path towards Heaven. This is a call to save him.

Thirty years is a long time. Thirty years in the service of the Catholic Church is a daunting challenge. To have 50 young men promise a lifelong commitment to God and His Church seems hard to find nowadays. Yet, with God's help, we did it. Fifty ordained priests for the 50th anniversary of Mgr Gonzi's episcopate. More than a rare occasion, it was unique. Strange, some might jibe. Stranger still when one learns that we were not 50, but 51, one more than the fifty 'needed'. All official recollections show 50. The 52nd is Fr Ryan.

Fr Ryan has nothing to do with Steven Spielberg's 1998 film, Saving Private Ryan. Fr Ryan is a collective entity. In spite of, or rather because of, his vulnerabilities Fr Ryan embodies each and every one of the 51 priests and religious who courageously march on, believing in ideals long challenged throughout their pastoral work.

Fr Ryan is the heart and mind of every priest, of every religious. He needs salvation. He fights sin fully aware of the allures of sin in his own life. He embattles temptations fully conscious that he forms part of the structures of sin he denounces. Fr Ryan's enemies are not the atheists or the cynics. They are inside. He is the victim of friendly fire.

Fr Ryan's joys and tears are the joys and tears of his fellow men. He moves in the midst of the crowd, is well integrated, he feels the pulse of those around him, his heart is synchronised with the qualms of the heart, of the marginalised, the excluded. He made a conscious choice to love God with all his heart fully aware of the price this implies.

He is well aware that eventually his personal Preferential Choice of the Poor would lead him to the same fate of His Master. His Master, in fact, was crucified by the high priests and their political allies. Fr Ryan detests dirty political partisanship yet strongly believes in Politics, with a capital "P", as Fr Bartolomeo Sorge, SJ, puts it, to refer to the values that the body politic proclaims.

God, Church, Religion, Politics are his battleground. He is the sworn enemy of those who during elections discover "the Christian vote". These politicians address religious conventions and praise God as part of their campaign trail. One has learned to expect such politicians to play this game. It goes along with kissing babies, going to church, doing all the right things and then going out and slaying the enemy. Everybody knows what the game is.

Priests in pain

I have known Fr Ryan for several months now. On my mobile I still keep his numerous SMSes (such as "Sometimes I wish to abandon everything and everybody; I can't find solace in my religion any more" or "The more time passes, the more I find life impossible to live. I do believe in God but I am not sure if I will succeed to reach the end of the road"). They remind me how cruel we can be with each other. And yet go on a pulpit to speak about solidarity, shared aims, team spirit and camaraderie.

Someone asked me not to get involved. But I discarded this advice, not uncharacteristically. And to be blunt, I found too much playing on words, too much passing the buck, too many blunt lies.

Fr Ryan is an ordained minister of religion. Behind his back, in spite of the data protection ethical standards, so many serious accusations have been levelled against him in various unexpected quarters from people who should know better. The unfairness of it all is that several people knew what was going on against him and did not move a finger to defend him. Some kept their mouths shut; others did not want to get involved; others still kept him in total darkness, although third parties knew that he had it coming.

I am no lawyer, but I cannot understand how the rule of law, justice, equity, and of course charity, can be safeguarded when the accused is not even aware that he is accused about any wrongdoing; when he is told that he is not accused about anything or by anybody; that there is nothing to worry about! I do not know the intricacies of the law, civil or ecclesiastical, but I am aware that natural law and common sense demand that any accused person ought to be informed about anything sinister being said about him and given the opportunity to defend himself. He or she ought to know what the accusations are and who made them, and be given full opportunity to defend his integrity by all legal means.

The Gospel message, which is the best canon law letter and spirit I know of, defends the poor and proclaims moral standards to safeguard justice that ought to be done - and seen to be done.

It is unfortunate that several stories I heard and became witness to result in serious injustices being done with irreparable harm to the good reputation everyone has the right for and serious decisions taken against individuals behind their back. No one is guilty unless proved guilty. No negative measure is justified against an individual, ecclesiastical or not, without his full know-ledge of what is being said about him and his right to present his case.

"Reticence", "uncommunicativeness", "prudence", "silence" are virtues unfortunately used to promote an atmosphere of mistrust, lack of genuine dialogue and worse an emotional break in the relationship between the bishops and their priests. There's little reassurance received that "every possible step will be taken to restore the good name of the person falsely accused".

The credibility of the Church is at stake here. Helmut Schüller ("The Ultimate Betrayal", The Tablet, July 24), Vienna's former vicar-general, warns that an institution under threat protects itself, not the victims.

Often the first reaction is usually concern for the Church's image or the Bishop's position. But putting such concerns first is treacherous. Rather than care for the victims, the priority is to ensure that the Church as an institution gets away with the least possible damage.

Shuller rightly points out: "This brings us to one of the key issues facing the Church: that the faithful have the right to expect those who are in positions of authority in the Church to be controlled, and to know how they are controlled.

Joseph Muscat, MEP

Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle are close friends. I have worked with them and came to appreciate their sense of duty and professionalism. This year they both attended the Lenten talks for young couples. At the end of the talks Joe came to me to ask a favour - "I am going to contest the MEP elections, can I have your endorsement?" That's what friends are for. I made it with pleasure. During a private rendezvous of friends I was invited to present Joseph Muscat.

I presumed any friend would use kind words to depict his friend: "I am here in my personal capacity as a private citizen. I felt it is my duty to be present to show my support for my friend Joseph Muscat. Joseph has one further asset: his wife Michelle. She serves as crucial support to him and they are a very eclectic couple."

Just as Tony and Cherie Blair had their first child after Blair was first elected to Parliament, I hope that Michelle and Joseph will add a member to their family after his election.

Yet out of the blue, days later, the Maltese bishops made the front page story of the PN media. They reported that the ecclesiastical authorities were angry with Fr Colin Apap because he dared to recommend Joseph Muscat. As the Net TV newscaster manipulated the bishops' perspective, their news showed footage of my participation in a trade union-organised workers' demonstration in Valletta - months before - in favour of the 8,000 workers on the dole. The not so subtle message was that the bishops were publicly denouncing a priest for taking part in a protest march intended to create awareness of the serious consequences on workers and their families when the breadwinner is out of work.

While I do understand the logic of spin in politics and allied pseudo-sciences, like manipulative religion, I do not understand the manoeuvrings behind the scenes.

Normally, a relationship between a bishop and his priests would demand a minimum of communication. In this case, the minimum one would reasonably expect would be that the priest would be called to give his views before being publicly thrown into the arena of partisan politics at the height of a political debate.

If there's something I feel upset about it is the mixing of religion and partisan politics. Those of us who lived the turbulent politico-religious conflicts of the past and present can understand very clearly my feelings of revulsion. I believe in the separation of Church and partisan politics. Too many sins and injustices have been committed in the name of God and the throne.

Although I asked for a meeting several times, to clarify the innuendoes, strangely enough, it was never granted. And as if to add insult to injury, the only explanation was that the ecclesiastical authorities "did not mention you at all".

I have good reason to believe that, given the real circumstances, not all were aware I was the target; the impression given was that it was the normal pre-election exhortation. I stop here.

Obviously, Net TV used the bishops' observations to fit their particular agenda. But why were no statements issued to correct a public misreading of the bishops' stand?

During one of Lou Bondì's PBS programmes, I produced a copy of a homage jotted down by a fellow priest, whose integrity and acumen I fully respect, endorsing a politician, extolling his virtues. This testimonial was widely distributed in private homes in those districts where this able politician contested.

Is it not fair and just to ask why did not the bishops speak out then? Does it not seem like two weights and two measures? I do believe that we are all born equal. But somehow, somewhere, in the process of growth, some become more equal than others.

There are always two reasons - the one given and the real reason.

Omertà and the Army chaplain

He dared to challenge the establishment. Living shoulder to shoulder with the Army's personnel, he lived their joys and tears, their hope and despair. He tried to correct the wrongdoings, in silence. He went out of his way that the legitimate aspirations of his flock will be met by the authorities concerned. Then a point of no return arrived. Only those who arrived at this point can really understand. The others would only pretend! He realised that talk, private conversations, letters, exhortations and passionate appeals only serve to produce more talk and more long-winded arguments without any solution.

So, in conscience, he made a choice. And was ready to pay the price for the changes he was proposing in the Army. He gave an interview to a journalist in open public forum, with name and address attached.

He was kicked out of his job. He was left licking his wounds, alone, with no support. Those who were supposed to back him, encourage him, defend his stand against injustices, just didn't care enough to make a difference. They stayed put. Not to get into trouble. Not to get criticised. He may have acted naively. So?

My dream is that the new bishop will be the bishop of all, but in particular the bishop of those priests who stick their neck out to defend their moral convictions. Francis Ford Coppola's omertà mentality is long superseded by a priestly prophetic role.

Fr Ryan's talents

Similarly, I cannot understand why a priest endowed with God's gifts in media, sports, management and administration, etc., cannot use his abilities in the service of society. Much more so if his services are not appreciated by those whose role is to facilitate a fully human and fully alive person. I sincerely admire those fellow priests who have done - and are still doing - so much good as professional team managers, newspaper editors, mass media controllers.

I admire the Jesuits, and other religious congregations, who back their priests to follow their talents and develop their potential. In the final analysis each one of us has to give account to his conscience how he used his God-given talents and time.

Intelligent discontent with the workings of the Maltese and Gozitan Curia is the mainspring of the Church's aggiornamento.

Will Fr Ryan find the new archbishop a father?

Only time will tell.