Since the early 1970s, the Archdiocese of Malta has had a decent salaries and pension scheme for its priests. It was in the time of Archbishop Michael Gonzi when Mgr Guido Calleja, former parish priest of St Julian’s, was appointed as administrative secretary. There were attempts before by respectable priests to try to install a decent scheme, but to no avail.
The breakthrough occurred when during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, the Kunsill Rapresentativ Djocesan (KRD) was set up to propose a new way on how to deal with the Church’s finances, more in line with the mentality that Vatican II was trying to promote.
The KRD, as its name implies, is composed of representatives of the cathedral chapter, the collegiates, the parish priests, the vice-parish priests, the lay movements and representatives of the administration of the Curia in the person of the administrative secretary and one or other employee chosen by the archbishop.
The council was not meant to be just a consultative council, but had a deliberative vote – and this was really and truly revolutionary in the Church.
Side by side with the KRD, a financial council was set up, made of experts coming from the financial world.
They were meant to give their opinion to the KRD, which however had thefinal word.
An important reform was a more evangelical scheme to govern priests’ salaries and pensions
Let me here pay tribute to the then chairman of Mid-Med Bank, the late Mr Louis E. Galea of St Julian’s, who was instrumental in bringing to fruition the various reforms needed, backed by Mgr Calleja as administrative secretary.
We often hear of the necessity of reforms in various curias spread all over the world, including the Roman Curia. I would suggest to influential prelates within our diocese to tell our well-meaning Pope Francis of the existence of this KRD. He might not be aware of it and might like it.
After all, it is said, that it was the intention of Paul VI to introduce a KRD in all the dioceses. The Maltese experience reaped positive results. Mutatis mutandis this could be introduced also in the Roman Curia.
The Pontifical Missions Office in Malta, for example, which as its name implies is a pontifical institution, is run by a sole director. Considering the great responsibility this office has, should it not be run by a board of directors?
Many reforms were enacted thanks to decisions taken by the KRD. But perhaps the more important reform taken in its now long history – five decades have passed since its institution - was a more evangelical scheme to govern the priests’ salaries and pensions.
A commission was set up to make the required suggestions. The undersigned, who at the time was serving as vice-parish priest at St Julian’s parish, was chosen as chairman, with the participation of Fr Fortunato Mizzi, founder of the Social Action Movement, whom I consider as mentor of the commission, Fr Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici who as the bishop’s priest delegate was instrumental to encourage the various institutions to accept the reform, and Fr Joe Brincat who as then director of the APS helped with his suggestions.
The report was presented to the KRD and to the clergy and was finally approved. As far as I can gather the essentials of that reform are still in effect.
However, it is up to the KRD to periodically check whether other reforms are needed according to present circumstances. For example: the basic salary suggested then was equal to that of a teacher in a primary school.
How does it compare today? Also, due to the need of the ever-growing number of priests in the field of the Lord, priests who should rightly be enjoying the liberty normally enjoyed by pensioners, to do other things that they always wanted to do but never had the time, are being asked to assume the role of parish priests and vice-parish priests.
Nothing wrong with that and they do it in a generous manner. But, I ask, shouldn’t an allowance be given to them? This occurs in the lay world. The answer remains with the KRD.