The news that Mgr Charles Scicluna is set to be announced as new Archbishop of Malta tomorrow came as no surprise, but observers said much would now depend on the team he appointed around him.

Fr Joe Borg, who was the first to publicly voice his concern about the Church’s leadership in crisis, welcomed the news of Mgr Scicluna’s upcoming appointment
and said he was “the right man for the job”.

“I think he is the man to build bridges. He is an opinionated man of strong convictions, yet he has no problem offering an apology where necessary, such as to the gay community,” he said.

Fr Borg said these qualities made Mgr Scicluna the right person to open a dialogue with contemporary society; something he felt was one of the main challenges facing the Maltese Church today. His first task would be to choose the task around him. choose the team around him.

“It’s not just about one’s personal capabilities. The big question he will face now is who to have around him,” he said, referring to the positions occupied in the Curia.

Fr Renè Camilleri, who heads the secretariat for catechesis, replied in a similar vein and said Mgr Scicluna’s appointment had been “an open secret for several months”.

Fr Ang Seychell, the founder of Jesus of Nazareth Foundation, a charity for people with disabilities, said: “Now that he has been appointed we should accept him and cooperate with him, with all our hearts. We will pray that he will be the Archbishop we truly do need.”

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he had always enjoyed an open dialogue
with Mgr Scicluna and that the bishop would find “an honest interlocutor” in the government.

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