New archbishop plans to reform Curia, tackle leadership crisis

Newly-appointed archbishop Charles Scicluna plans to carry out Curia reform, and address Church's dire financial situation.

Barely a week into his appointment as Malta’s new archbishop, Fr Charles Scicluna is set on tackling the Church’s leadership crisis and its dire financial situation, pledging that he will “rebuild bridges,” in an attempt to reach out to critics.

Speaking in two separate interviews on the Sunday Times of Malta and the Malta Independent on Sunday, Scicluna explained that he will work hard to “rope back in priests who have recently expressed disagreement with the Church administration.”

For months, the Church’s leadership – or lack of it – was described as the “elephant in the room,” a problem known in private but not talked about in public. However, the crisis and the church’s absence from a number of public debates – especially the civil unions discussions – was brought into the public eye after several opinion writers and priests voiced disapproval against the Church’s leadership.

Pressure started building on former archbishop Paul Cremona in the summer of 2014 after university lecturer and media academic Fr Joe Borg complained of a leadership vacuum inside the church, while Fr Joe Inguanzez spoke about the “critical decisions” that needed to be taken by the church which was at the time at a standstill. “This is always dangerous but much more so in times of the rapid change we are experiencing at both the ecclesial and social sphere,” Inguanez told MaltaToday.

Tasked with restructuring of the Curia, Archbishop Scicluna has spoken about the need to reform the Curia, and explained that he will listen to the people who have already proposed reforms or compiled reports, including a report prepared by a special commission appointed a  few years back by the Presbyterian council.

“We have discussed the report several times … I am not saying that I am bound, because there are also other reports promising a reform of the Curia administration. I would like to combine elements from all the existing reports,” he said.

While admitting that the “friction” between the church and its critics – including priests – is weighing heavily on mind, Scicluna was quick to dispel rumours that these critics will be given the cold shoulder.

Conversely, he pledged that he will meet with these priests personally, and that he will also meet with different categories of people to mend the "bridges" between the priests and the church's administration. 

Another arduous task that Scicluna will face as a result of his new role at the helm of the Maltese Diocese, the Church’s dire financial situation is also high on Scicluna’s and the Church’s priorities.

According to its financial accounts, the Church registered a deficit of €401,000 at the end of 2013. Its finances were once again in the red after it had posted a profit of around €1 million in 2012 after a loss of more than €3.5 million over three years between 2008 and 2011.

Speaking during his inaugural press conference as archbishop on Friday, Scicluna pledged to tackle the “worrying” deficit, insisting that the Curia must be restructured to achieve efficiency. Scicluna has however dismissed claims that he will offset these losses by selling its properties or by economise on social services.