The Church’s lack of direction under Archbishop Paul Cremona’s stewardship was discussed at a recent presbyterial council, Times of Malta has learnt.

The issue made it to the agenda amid priests’ growing concerns that direction from the Church’s leaders was not forthcoming.

A council member, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was general agreement that “a leadership vacuum” had developed.

The meeting heard that repeated calls by parish priests for direction on pastoral issues were met with procrastination from the Curia.

But concerns were also raised on what priests felt was the Church’s muted response to morally charged issues, such as civil unions.

Mgr Cremona was indisposed for the meeting, which was chaired by Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna.

The leadership issue had been on the agenda before Mgr Cremona cancelled his attendance.

The presbyterial council is tasked to discuss issues related to the Church and advise the Archbishop. It is composed of priests appointed by the Archbishop, others elected directly by the clergy and members who have an automatic seat because of some post they hold in the Church.

It was Fr Joe Borg, a media specialist and columnist, who opened Pandora’s box on Sunday when he said the Church’s leadership was in crisis. He said the issue was “the elephant in the room”; acknowledged privately but not talked about publicly.

When contacted yesterday Fr Joe said he had nothing to add to what he wrote, expressing hope it would lead to a wider debate within the Church.

Priests who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity said the sentiment expressed by Fr Joe was widespread.

The presbyterial council member said the general feeling in the Church was that the Archbishop was a good pastor but did not have the skills of a leader.

“It is in his [the Archbishop’s] character to avoid clashes, which he fears, and this has restrained him from going public on numerous occasions with the Church’s position,” the member said, ruling out Mgr Cremona’s resignation.

The Archbishop’s response has so far been a statement released by his spokesman: “His Grace remains committed to serve the Church to the best of his abilities.”

A young parish priest critical of Mgr Cremona’s lack of vision and administrative abilities said the Archbishop’s reluctance to leave was not an act of arrogance.

“The Archbishop is not one who will cling to his seat for power’s sake but his reluctance to leave is borne out of a sense of obedience to the mission he was entrusted,” the parish priest said.

He noted that things seem to have precipitated after the divorce referendum result three years ago.

Bruised by a majority vote in favour of the introduction of divorce, the Church, which had come under heavy fire from its critics, seemed to have withdrawn from the public sphere in the aftermath of the referendum.

“We buried our heads in the sand after the divorce referendum and Mgr Scicluna was left alone to front the recent debate on civil unions for gay couples,” the parish priest said.

He noted that parish priests still had no pastoral direction from Church leaders on how to deal with thorny moral issues that may result from recent societal changes.

“How should I as a parish priest act when a divorced person chooses to remarry in Church or if a gay couple asks for their child to be baptised? The lack of pastoral direction only serves to confuse matters as priests will probably handle the matter differently.”

He said the Church lacked vision and leadership, which meant there was less coordination between its different entities.

“The Archbishop is a good priest but not a good administrator and his health problems seem to have exacerbated the situation,” the parish priest said, adding that Mgr Cremona was being shielded by Pro-Vicar Anton Gouder.

It is in the Archbishop’s character to avoid clashes and this has restrained him from going public on numerous occasions

Although Mgr Gouder is considered by some to represent the Church’s conservative old guard, many feel he is “admirably” taking the flak for the Archbishop.

An example of the Church’s lack of leadership was the recent case involving the Mġarr parish priest, he added.

Fr Emanuel Camilleri was removed by the Curia after just five months at the helm of the parish amid growing friction with some parishioners.

They had defied a Curia order and gone ahead with organising a Holy Week procession.

Fr Camilleri openly criticised the Curia’s decision to remove him, insisting the Church had a leadership crisis.

This case has left an impact on the clergy, with at least three priests who spoke to this newspaper pointing out that it was unfair on Fr Camilleri to have been given a mandate to change things, only to be abandoned by the Curia when push came to shove.

A veteran priest acknowledged that the Mġarr case exposed the leadership crisis.

Those in the Church who exalt ritual and tradition over the real meaning of religion were given the upper hand over those who upheld the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, he added.

“Fr Camilleri may have made mistakes but the point is that if he was executing the instructions of the Curia, he should not have been removed in the way he was,” the veteran priest said.

But not everyone felt Fr Joe’s public outburst was appropriate.

A parish priest said Fr Joe’s opinion piece could be a blessing but could also do damage because more people would feel dejected and distrustful of the Church.

However, he agreed with his sentiments, adding the Church was gripped by a culture shock.

“It’s like we don’t know how to communicate our place in society without being offensive or, on the other end of the scale, irrelevant.”

The arrival of Mgr Scicluna as Auxiliary Bishop in 2012 had instilled hope that things would improve but some parish priests said they felt let down.

The man who served for many years as the Vatican’s prosecutor on child abuse cases did not deliver, a parish priest said, adding that the regular meetings that were promised were not held.

“Due to his long years in the Vatican, Mgr Scicluna is less of a pastoralist but it is difficult to know whether his ineffectiveness is a result of his qualities or because as an Auxiliary Bishop he has no power to change things on his own and is holding back not to overshadow the Archbishop,” one priest said.