Archbishop-elect Charles Scicluna.

Archbishop-elect Charles Scicluna’s official installation ceremony on Saturday will be “a celebration not seen since 1944”, a Curia spokesman said yesterday.

Mgr Scicluna and his cortege will take the same route taken by Archbishop Michael Gonzi some 70 years ago.

“We want this to be a celebration for the Maltese church and the people. We haven’t seen a day like this for some 70 years, and this in itself is something,” the spokesman said.

The cortege will leave from the Lija parish church at 8.30am and make several stops in Rabat before finally coming to a halt at the Mdina Cathedral at around 11am.

From Lija, the cortege will drive to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Health in Rabat where it will turn towards the Dominican Church. Mgr Scicluna will then be driven to the St Paul Church in Rabat and at 9.50am the Archbishop Elect will visit the Ta’ Ġiezu church before heading to St Mark’s church.

He is expected to arrive at the Mdina main gate at around 10.30am.

The spokesman said points would be set up for crowds to gather in the streets of Rabat and Mdina and a large screen would project the ceremony to those gathered in the old capital’s Cathedral Square.

We haven’t seen a day like this for some 70 years, and this in itself is something

The Curia yesterday also unveiled the Archbishop Elect’s new coat of arms.

The crest is based on the traditional Scicluna coat of arms of a white steed with crescent moon on a red background and Mgr Scicluna has added a yellow rose to signify the Virgin Mary.

A Latin motto Fidelix Et Verax, has also been added to the coat of arms, which means ‘Faithful and Truthful’.

The coat of arms is crowned by a pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment that symbolises a Metropolitan archbishop.

Mgr Scicluna, 55, will take over from Mgr Paul Cremona, who resigned last October because of ill health.