Valletta will today experience a new and extraordinary event, unique to Maltese history. The Episcopal Ordination of Patri Paul Cremona, the Dominican friar and Belti, is no Notte Bianca, or Notte Magica. Nonetheless, the celebration has every reason to be magical and unforgettable.
Maltese archbishops have never been ordained at St John's Cathedral, in Valletta: the Città Nuova and the Città Umillissima. All Episcopal Ordinations were held at the cathedral in Mdina. The event is unprecedented in this respect and may be seen as just the first unconventional decision that our new Archbishop has taken.
As he leaves his childhood parish dedicated to Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Dominic in Merchants Street, Patri Pawl will carcade the streets of Valletta before he is driven down Malta's main thoroughfare, Republic Street. It is the same street that welcomed kings, queens and heads of state, and had the honour to receive the Bishop of Rome in 1990 and in 2001. It will receive the Bishop of Malta with equal respect and dignity.
Beyond the natural and undeceiving smile of Patri Pawl's humble charisma, one can observe a deep sense of unity. The way he has planned his mission to lead our Church in a more horizontal way of leadership, based on the principles of team-building, is innovative as much as it is inspired by a skillful and inclusive course of action.
As the red carpet is rolled back on Friday evening, Patri Pawl will find himself thrown into the deep end as our ordained Archbishop to lead the Church on the highly-debated issues of abortion, divorce, euthanasia, bioethics and gay marriages, which may be shaping the fate of our state in the years to come.
As an emerging parish priest, Patri Pawl has been a priest for the people. It is clear from his initial remarks he intends to remain so as a bishop for the people. As Archbishop of Malta he may possibly be The Kappillan of Malta (Nicholas Monserrat). His experience of living in a community gives him a good feel of the community.
Rather than being the story of a priest giving hope to a helpless people at the peak of a world war, swaying from left to right, divided over the Axis and the Allied Forces, Patri Pawl is a story of compelling hope and defence in the new battle of values that are challenging the Catholic Church.
In this light, the unity of the people and the convergence of diversity seem to be a major challenge for our newly-elected Archbishop.
Patri Pawl, Valletta and its people welcome you with open arms as their new Archbishop.
Dr Borg Olivier is mayor of Valletta.