In a recent interview, Malta’s new Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna compared the process that was set in motion by his Episcopal ordination yesterday to a wedding.
But with a sense of stark realism that he possesses and which already marks him out as a leader in his class, he added: “I will be given a ring, and there will then be a honeymoon. But the honeymoon will not last forever.”
Even though he will not be spending the next fortnight lying on a beach in the Maldives or some other exotic destination – unless Malta in late autumn is capable of falling into that category – the honeymoon he describes is not likely to extend far beyond the Christmas festivities.
After that his daily diet starts off with chilly winter mornings in the offices of the local Church’s headquarters in Floriana where he will be fed a bishop’s lunch and dinner of problems.
Issues will be brought to him from people outside the walls of the Curia as well as by priests who venture inside. These will be varied, numerous, and at times very complex.
However, particularly given the reputation that precedes him, he will be expected to solve them. This while he attends to the burdensome liturgical side of his new role which is as physically demanding as the other aspect is mental.
He has also been entrusted with an additional responsibility by the Pope: as it became known in the past day or so that he will serve as a judge on the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.
This is the place Mgr Scicluna made a name for himself as chief prosecutor, as he adopted a modern and zero-tolerance approach to clerical sexual abuse. His elevation to this new position should put paid once and for all to rumours that he was kicked upstairs because he was, rather ironically, doing his job too well.
Mgr Scicluna has himself declared that he will now be giving his life to the people, and that is indeed no mean feat. But, as he has grasped already, it is how he does this that will define his success as a bishop.
He has already shown that he is erudite and articulate. However, in recent days the wider public has seen that he has another string to his bow: a warm and genuine smile coupled with a human touch that he is able to employ whether he is talking to prime ministers or to prisoners – whom he has already declared deserve dignity and respect.
This will be an essential part of his armoury as he is thrust forward as one of the public faces of the Church in dealing with the difficult questions posed by modern-day society.
The initial signs are most encouraging: he is not afraid to speak his mind on relevant issues, such as the European Parliament’s treatment last week of the nomination of Tonio Borg as Commissioner, and in interviews he has handled thorny issues like IVF, divorce and homosexuality with great humanity and aplomb while at the same time remaining true to the Church.
This is the spirit in which he must continue. It is to be hoped that he is able to keep at bay the shackles which can sometimes attach themselves to the occupants of senior positions in institutions, and that he will continue not just to talk – which he does so well – but also to listen and engage.
We wish him every success on his new journey.