Fr Renè Camilleri.

The Archbishop’s “important” decision to introduce permanent deacons was described as “a bolt from the blue” by a member of a Church commission who in 2012 had backed their introduction.

Fr Renè Camilleri, the Archbishop’s Delegate for Catechesis, welcomed the decision but said it took him completely by surprise as he was not aware that the commission’s recommendation had been taken on board.

It was “unbelievable” that such an important decision had been given so little prominence by the Church itself, Fr Camilleri said when contacted yesterday.

“Unfortunately it’s a Church that makes no news,” he said.

“I only learnt of the decision on Friday afternoon as nobody had informed me about it, even though I was part of the commission that had backed the proposal.”

Unfortunately it’s a Church that makes no news

He also laid emphasis on the need to set up the right infrastructure so that laymen aspiring to be ordained deacons – who can be married – would be able to receive their formation.

Fr Camilleri said that over the weekend he had already been approached by a number of men very eager to take the opportunity to become deacons. Their expectations had been raised sky high by Mgr Cremona’s announcement.

“It is important that these people, who have been waiting for the Archbishop’s yes for all these years, do not endure further frustration,” he said.

Fr Camilleri also questioned the entire local debate which lasted some 15 years, questioning whether it made sense to mull over the introduction of permanent deacons when Vatican Council II had already expressed itself in favour.

The idea had been floated in the diocesan synod held between 1999 and 2003 and was subsequently discussed within various Curia structures including the Presbyterian Council and the College of Parish Priests.

In 2012, Archbishop Paul Cremona appointed a commission to look into the proposal.

The committee presented its report in November of that year but no further developments were reported until Friday’s announcement, when Mgr Cremona was addressing the diocesan assembly.

Fr Joe Borg, a columnist for The Sunday Times of Malta and former PRO to Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, said the decision was an important one. From the very beginning of his episcopate, Mgr Cremona was disposed towards introducing permanent deacons, he said.

“Now that he has made the decision, it is the duty of everyone to work towards the success of this pastoral innovation in our Archdiocese, learning from the experience – positive and negative – of the many dioceses around the world which already have permanent deacons.”

However, he also called for a period of formation for the ecclesial community as well, while laying emphasis on the fact that even parish communities had to be trained to make permanent deacons feel welcome.

Fr Borg also welcomed the decision to “enhance” the status of laity in the Church, as from now onwards lay ministers will be officially nominated by the Archbishop rather than the parish priests.

“Little has been publicly said but it is fair to note that this is also an important pastoral innovation,” he said.

The Archbishop’s delegate for the laity, Joe Farrugia, said the Church needed to better explain the role of permanent deacons as even some reports in the media were inaccurate.

“This is a positive step forward but there needs to be good pre­paration to ensure that they feel welcome by the community and even by members of the clergy,” he said

Mr Farrugia remarked that permanent deacons could be very useful as part of the Church’s outreach in hospitals, prisons and in families facing major problems due to social and economic challenges.

What are permanent deacons?

Candidates for deaconry would first need to be screened and would then have to successfully follow a three-year course to be eligible for ordination.

Permanent deacons may preside over marriages, funerals and baptisms but may not celebrate Mass, hear confession or consecrate bread and wine. In the case of married men, the wife must give her consent.

The existence of deacons goes back to the early days of the Catholic Church when their role was also to look after those in need and give material support. However their importance declined over the centuries to a point when deaconry – the first degree of the Holy Orders, before priesthood and the episcopate – was just a stepping stone to the priesthood, as it still is in Malta today.

The Catholic Church re-introduced the possibility of ordaining permanent deacons 50 years ago following Vatican Council II.

The decision was left to the respective archdioceses but the need for them did not seem to be felt in Malta before now, contrary to other countries facing a shortage of vocations.