The name of the new Archbishop of Malta to succeed Mgr Joseph Mercieca was officially announced yesterday. He is Fr Paul Cremona, the Dominican parish priest of Jesus of Nazareth parish, Sliema.

The Holy See's announcement brings to an end years of speculation as to who Archbishop Mercieca's successor might be. Indeed the speculation has been going on since Mgr Mercieca handed in his resignation, as required by Canon Law, on reaching the retirement age of 75 three years ago; it has intensified since the naming, about a year ago, of Fr Mario Grech as successor to the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Nikol Cauchi, who had also submitted his resignation on turning 75.

Apart from the names being bandied about, there was even talk of an "amalgamation" of the archdiocese of Malta with the diocese of Gozo (created in 1864, and for which the Gozitans had long campaigned) under Bishop Grech. Evidently, there was no basis for that particular rumour.

Sixty-year-old Fr Cremona hardly figured among those names, although those of a couple of other Dominicans did. One of them, Fr George Frendo, was in fact appointed auxiliary bishop of Dürres and Tirana, in Albania last September.

The next Archbishop, however, is a senior figure in the local Dominican community, having served as provincial, parish priest of Guardamangia, lecturer of moral theology and Archbishop's delegate for the Consecrated Life. He would be the second Dominican to head the Maltese diocese after Bishop Angelo Portelli, who was auxiliary to Bishop Pietro Pace and then apostolic administrator after Mgr Pace's death, until the appointment of Archbishop Maurus Caruana in 1915.

Mgr Cremona certainly faces an arduous task, when materialism and consumerism are making huge inroads in Maltese society, once considered almost 100 per cent Catholic. The Maltese Church is facing the problems afflicting the Catholic Church in most Western societies: the traditional family, and marriage, are under an unprecedented assault from a growing pro-divorce mentality; alternative, unchristian lifestyles are taking hold, as are rampant relativism and a society obsessed with satisfying its wants as quickly as possible.

There is also the question of declining religious and priestly vocations, not to mention internal dissent, and growing indifference among the faithful, marked by falling Sunday Mass attendance, continued questioning of the faith and of Church authority, proselytism by sects and non-Christian religions, and moral lassitude, particularly among the young.

Mgr Cremona takes over from Archbishop Mercieca, an unassuming, soft-spoken prelate offering a strong contrast with his immediate predecessor, the formidable, combative Archbishop Gonzi, who had to face two serious politico-religious disputes. Archbishop Mercieca too faced a number of crises, not least the Labour government's "war" on Church schools and hospitals in the 1980s and a host of pastoral problems resulting from the growing materialism of the age, and also as a reaction to the strict application of Church sanctions in the politico-religious dispute of the early Sixties. Then, of course, came Vatican II, and attitudes - and certainties, or perceptions of them - changed.

This does not mean that Mgr Mercieca has not spoken out, and forcefully too, against the evils afflicting Maltese society - his speeches on various occasions have been published in a number of volumes. Having served as a judge of the Roman Rota, he has been particularly aware of the dangers facing Maltese families and married couples. But his approach could not be more contrasting with that of his predecessor.

Thirty years of leading the Maltese archdiocese must weigh heavily on Archbishop Mercieca, which is why the Church has adopted a rule whereby bishops - no matter how effective they have been - are asked to submit their resignation once they reach the age of 75.

The new Archbishop will soon be 61, so he is likely to have 14 years to carry out his mission, which is a huge responsibility in any case. There is no doubt that the years of service which lie ahead mean that Mgr Cremona is likely to have a substantial impact on the future of the Maltese Church. While congratulating him on his appointment, we wish him every success in his new endeavour, with God's grace, and express our gratitude to Archbishop Mercieca for carrying out his onerous mission steadfastly in often trying times, for three decades.