Editorial

This is a significant week for the Church in the Maltese islands. Last Tuesday, the Church commemorated the second anniversary of the Episcopal consecration of Mgr Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo. The first anniversary of the Episcopal consecration of Archbishop Paul Cremona is being celebrated today.

The announcement of the choice of Bishop Grech and Archbishop Cremona was most welcome by the people. Scenes of cheering and enthusiastic crowds that assembled to welcome both wherever they visited are still vivid in everyone's minds. The Maltese people are known for their generosity and hospitality. But in this case it was more than something that comes so natural to the Maltese people. There must have been a message there, a message that the Church in Malta must have certainly understood.

People looked for a fresh start. Believers hoped for a more vibrant and caring Church that would reverse the downward trend in church attendance and a reversal in the process secularising values. Non-believers hoped for a Church that would better understand its relationship to a pluralist society.

A fresh start was the priority of both bishops who introduced a new style of being a bishop. The people became the focus of their attention and activity. Both of them started accepting all sorts of invitations, which placed them in constant contact with all sectors of society. They became shepherds that mingle with their sheep. Their presence among the people was enhanced by their readiness to accept invitations by the media to openly discuss all sorts of topics. The people made it obvious they greatly appreciated such openness, accessibility and the willingness to reach out.

The effect on many has been very positive and, as a result, many really and truly believe that the past few months have been a period of grace for the Church in Malta and Gozo. Of course, that also meant that expectations were high, very high. Which, in turn, means that the pressures on both bishops is considerable and that they were expected to decide and deliver.

Indeed, being a bishop involves much more than mingling with people. It involves taking unpopular and tough decisions about people. It involves changing structures and building new ones that can help the Church meet present and future challenges. It means drawing strategies and future plans. It involves motivating and managing priests, who, human nature being what it is, may also not be easy-going.

As time goes by Archbishop Cremona and Bishop Grech will have to weave more of this difficult aspect of the episcopate with their constant direct contact with the people.

Bishop Grech has already started taking difficult and controversial decisions on people and structures. There were strong reactions, if not over-reactions. As to be expected, rough resistance met some of his courageous moves. Common sense will surely prevail.

Archbishop Cremona will soon have to follow in the same direction.

Besides these institutional and ecclesiastical challenges they have to face the challenges that arise from within a society that is becoming more pluralist and secularist. The family (including issues about alternative families and divorce); the minefield of bioethics (that is, the beginning of human life, stem cell research, problems connected to life's ending) and all sorts of diversity issues (such as same-sex marriages and adoption by homosexual couples) will surely be on their agenda in the not-so-distant future. The Church will have to find a new synthesis based on dialogue and the desire to build bridges with those who have different world views, value systems and perspectives. This dialogue becomes more difficult when a particular position has to be transposed into public policy or legislation.

Both Archbishop Cremona and Bishop Grech have shown they are well equipped for the difficult task ahead.