Archbishop-elect Charles Scicluna is keen to reassure those who fear him that he “does not bite”; on the contrary, he welcomes dialogue and criticism.

“I am a person who listens and who doesn’t mind being criticised... I have learnt that people who criticise you in an intelligent way do you good, while those who criticise you maliciously help you to be humble. So criticism is welcome,” he told The Sunday Times of Malta.

In his first newspaper interview, Mgr Scicluna admitted that he wanted to become Archbishop, and had battled to restrain emotions of presumption and ambition.

“We all have these desires and some emanate from egoism or narcissism; others are inspired by God. But you only know it’s a vocation when you wouldn’t have done anything to force the issue,” he said, when asked if this post had been his lifelong ambition.

See Mgr Scicluna's comments on how he got the news of his appointment, and a range of matters including his own personality and his relationship with Gozo Bishop Mario Grech in the video above and the full text in The Sunday Times of Malta.

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