It’s like a revolution has begun

Archbishop-elect Charles Scicluna is in a position no leader wants to be: having to lead an organisation which has rendered itself defunct. The stakes are high. 

There is widespread consensus that the local Church is in bad shape. What is needed, many argue, is a leader who is assertive, charismatic and not afraid to take decisions. Mgr Charles Scicluna has what it takes to fit this description. 

Yes, he’s charming, but he’s more than that – the Archbishop-elect knows the intricacies of the local Curia, is intellectually tough, capable of being bold and assertive, does not shrink away from making his thoughts known, practises what he preaches – and is well known for his leadership qualities. He is, in many ways, the right man at the right time for the local Catholic Church. 

Among his first statements were those of a reshuffle at the Curia. That is a plain indication of strong leadership, and courage. The clique within the Curia prevented his predecessor from regenerating the Church. 

There was a time when Scicluna was perceived to be an acolyte of this clique, although his association was always overstated. Judging him from his statements over the past few days, it is screamingly obvious that we had a frustrated Auxiliary Bishop wanting to change things but unable to do so because he was not in the lead. 

There is no doubt that the Curia should change alongside the new Archbishop and Scicluna is determined to do precisely that. Old faces – or most of them, must go and they will go. He can’t afford to delay his Curia reshuffle. Charles Scicluna clearly represents a danger to the old clique within the Curia. If he is to survive, he needs fresh blood, new faces and new ideas around him. 

Of course, the Church should not be used as a political ball, but it can still remain relevant by being a moral leader. Given his background and acumen, I trust that the new Archbishop is not uneasy with a secular society. Through regeneration of ideas within, the Church in Malta can still have value for our society.

The new Archbishop has a tall order. I think Scicluna has to do one big thing to turn the Church’s fortunes round, which is to return to the true soul of the Catholic Church – putting inclusiveness, forgiveness and compassion back on the agenda. 

Scicluna’s leadership should be about a Church where no one is abandoned. The Church, as Scicluna told me on Iswed fuq l-Abjad last Wednesday, needs to talk the language of the people. He is determined to do so. 

Charles Scicluna is the Archbishop that the local Catholic Church so desperately needs. Within the local Catholic Church, it feels as if a revolution has already begun. I wish him well.