The Church dismissed claims made in a newspaper that the Vatican is in the process of removing Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
A spokesman for the Archbishop said Pope Francis had, on several occasions, publicly acknowledged Mgr Scicluna’s “valid contribution”.
The General Workers’ Union’s daily, L-Orizzont, said in an editorial on Tuesday it was known that the Holy See was thinking of “recalling the Archbishop and free this people from an unsuitable shepherd…”
“Archbishops are appointed or removed by the Pope and not by the editor of L-Orizzont. It is a pity that some journalists prefer to excel in the spreading of disinformation rather than the truth,” the spokesman told the Times of Malta.
The editorial was published just two days after the Archbishop, in comments to The Sunday Times of Malta, criticised the use of hate speech by people debating issues of national importance. His comments were sought after former GWU secretary general, Tony Zarb, launched a series of attacks against MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa.
Archbishops are appointed or removed by the Pope and not by the editor of L-Orizzont
Mr Zarb called them “traitors and backstabbers”, among other things, and also unleashed attacks against Pana committee chairman Werner Langen following a European Parliament debate on rule of law in Malta.
Mr Zarb’s Facebook page, where he had made his comments, was then shut down but he vowed he would not stop commenting because he was resolved in continuing to defend Malta.
The newspaper’s editorial said the Archbishop’s comments were aimed at tarnishing Mr Zarb, however, the Church spokesman noted that the Archbishop had made similar calls on numerous occasions.
“The Church stands by the calls for unity in our country, which the Archbishop has repeated on several occasions as also did the President of Malta.
“In the past, the Archbishop not only appealed for unity but also strongly condemned the use of the media to foment division,” the spokesman recalled.
The spokesman pointed out that, in the past, L-Orizzont had quoted the Archbishop whenever he praised the government but opted to attack him when constructive criticism was due.
“Such statements are always guided by the social teachings of the Church and her duty to contribute towards the enhancement of democratic life in a pluralistic society,” the spokesman noted.