My efforts to contact the Bishop of Gozo while he was being interviewed on RTK Radio about the Bishops’ Extraordinary Synod on the Family were disappointingly futile. My queries basically were just two: the relevance of Vatican II and its corollaries concerning the notion of collegiality and possibly the sensus fidei.

We are all aware of the uncompromising stance adopted by Cardinals Raymond Burke and Gerhard Mueller of the Roman Curia, redolent of the late Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani’s obscurantist attitude during Vatican II.

I have gained the impression that some of the ‘liberal’ interlocutors, happily, seem to have rediscovered Vatican II. Where were they, these last 50 years, during the pontificates of Pope (St) John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI when dialogue, as enunciated by Vatican II, was relentlessly relegated to the back burner? Even in Malta, it was imperative for survival to pull the party line!

Things, however, seem to be changing for the better. Is it possible that with ‘the wind of change’ so providentially initiated by Pope Francis, these ‘liberal’ interlocutors have come out of their hibernation and have become aware of ‘collegiality’ and the sensus fidei once again? Better late than never.

This augurs well for next year’s synod; the writing is on the wall that unless the Church succeeds in reading the signs of the times, its future is likely to be bleak.

Most of the bishops participating in the synod, prior to their appointment, had to pass through the stringent sieve of the Roman Curia and had to conform to the Wotyla/Ratzinger template.

Hence, it was most encouraging to see that some of them dared standing up, echoing the pastoral stance that is advocated by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

I am under the impression that Bishop Mario Grech, in his synod contribution, made some reference to the views on marriage advocated by the Orthodox Church. What he said was nothing new and perhaps he was unwittingly simply preaching to the erstwhile ‘blind’ converted; but even so, it was most healthy and refreshing that he aired those views.

Thank you indeed Bishop Grech and, please, keep it up.