Today is an important day for Gozo. Mgr Mario Grech, until recently parish priest of the small village of Kercem, will be consecrated bishop and installed as the eighth bishop of Gozo since the sister island became an independent diocese in 1864.

It is certainly an occasion of joy for the people of Gozo, a joy which the rest of the Maltese Islands share. So it is with joy that we offer our sincere congratulations to Bishop Grech on his appointment and wish him every success in his endeavour to carry out his duties as spiritual pastor of the Gozo diocese to the best of his abilities. No doubt he and his diocese will face a number of challenges which we are confident he will overcome with courage and prudence.

Bishop Grech seems to have all the right qualities to carry the onerous responsibilities which heading a diocese entails. Like his immediate predecessor, Bishop Nikol Cauchi, who was 38 when he was chosen to run the diocese, Mgr Grech is relatively young yet possesses an impressive academic background, and - like fellow Gozitan Mgr Joseph Mercieca, the Archbishop of Malta - a long-standing member of ecclesiastical marriage tribunals.

In the latter capacity, especially, Bishop Grech will no doubt have gained sufficient experience to be able to identify the huge challenges which the institution of marriage and the family are currently facing and to draw the attention of his flock to the dangers of giving in to materialistic and hedonistic trends which are gaining ground everywhere.

As in the case of Bishop Cauchi before him, we are sure that Bishop Grech - whose young age allows him to look ahead to a long and fruitful episcopate - will leave his mark on the diocese, making the local Church ready to meet the challenges and sufficiently sensitive to adapt to the needs of the times, while upholding and reaffirming the eternal truths proclaimed by the Church through its teachings.

Bishop Cauchi, who like Archbishop Mercieca had offered his resignation to the Pope on reaching the statutory retirement age of 75 almost two years ago, has rightly been credited with breathing fresh life into the Seminary by, among other things, ensuring that seminarians gain pastoral experience abroad, sometimes in mission lands, and to constantly upgrade priestly formation. At a time when priestly and religious vocations are declining everywhere, Gozo has continued to supply a steady stream of priests and religious, both male and female, to Third World missions.

Bringing families and individuals closer to Christ and His teachings is another major challenge for the new bishop. This includes instilling a sense of priorities in the work carried out by parishes, for example. The sense of community in Gozo is very strong, and the Church is very sensitive to the needs of the marginalised members of society, but to an outsider Gozitan society seems to be still riven by unwarranted parochial pique and needless rivalry.

To his credit, Bishop Cauchi had managed to solve a number of long-standing parochial disputes which reflected badly on the Church in Gozo. Yet the sister island is not yet rid of the scourge of parochialism which often manifests itself in excesses, sometimes aided and abetted - even if unwittingly, perhaps - by certain members of the clergy.

This is why Bishop Grech has to move carefully but with determination, using the weapon of gentle persuasion, to try to heal any lingering divisions which are not only completely out of place in the 21st century but which could also be a source of scandal, especially to Catholics whose faith is, at best, wavering.

The motto chosen by Bishop Grech, In fractione pani (in the breaking of bread) is a clear message to the Gozo clergy to distinguish themselves as the celebrants of the Eucharist and thus be outstanding examples to the lay community they should serve with humility and dedication.

Bishop Grech himself has already stated that he wants to be close to all members of the community, without exception. This, after all, is the mission of the Church: to be as close and relevant to society as possible, while following the example set by its divine founder, Jesus Christ, in its teachings and actions. As it happens, love is the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, due to be published on Wednesday, feast of the Conversion of St Paul. We are sure that Bishop Grech will be fulfilling this mission with enthusiasm and commitment.

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