The war against Charles J. Scicluna

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna has a nasty habit of infuriating the Castille clique and sparking revolts against him. On Good Friday, of all days, he retweeted an article which compared the current government to Sicily’s Mafia, and all hell broke loose. His Excellency provoked a ferocious backlash from the Office of the Prime Minister. A petition is making the rounds asking Pope Francis to remove him. ‘He must go’, government apologists insist, ‘he’s another Mikiel Gonzi – or worse’, a Labour party supporter said on social media.

Scicluna is the talk of the town. Social media is awash with comments against him, and others in his defence. Fervent labour Party supporters hate him. They want him out. They wax lyrical when referring to Archbishop Pawlu Cremona – ‘he was a great Archbishop’, they say – ‘for he kept Church and State matters at a distance’. Now that’s a misconception, for Cremona too spoke, albeit indiscreetly, about State matters.

But admittedly, he was far from vociferous on matters on which he should have been. That did not make him an ineffective Archbishop – but on matters of grave concern, as is corruption, the Church is duty bound to speak up – with a loud voice. Cremona avoided a direct clash with State, and for that he was loved by many – especially rabid Labour Party supporters who thought, mistakenly, that his silence meant consent.

Cremona left, and was succeeded by a stocky man who happens to call a spade by its name – and in so doing with a loud voice. Archbishop Scicluna is a brave man; and he’s not one for turning. And he knows what makes the State tick.

To the disbelief of many, he did not utter a word against government plans to remove the crucifix from government buildings – and Roman Catholicism from the Constitution. Neither did he express dissent against government plans to remove religion classes from government schools, and replace it with ethics – a more comprehensive subject which gives students basic knowledge of different religions and faiths.

It is corruption and shady dealings which make Scicluna tick. And he misses no occasion to speak out on these matters.

It is no secret that Malta’s cash-for-passport scheme is shrouded in mystery. Government refuses to divulge the names of its beneficiaries, and cites data protection to cover his ass. The European Union, for all its talk on transparency, refused to put its foot down – and instead of demanding that government comes clean on this matter, it allowed Malta and other EU countries, to sell European citizenship.

On Good Friday the Prime Minister attempted to legitimise the IIP scheme by dishing €5 million for a just cause.

The Puttinu London apartments are a necessity and if the economy is truly doing well – as government reminds us daily, it should do the obvious and build the apartments itself. When a journalist compared Muscat’s antics to those of a ‘Mafia state’ Scicluna retweeted the article, and all hell broke loose.

Notwithstanding, the man is not for turning and neither is Pope Francis. None of them have time for ridiculous-organised-by-the-OPM petitions.

They are outspoken – which explains why the corrupt and the shady want them silenced. Government and its apologists are trying to force Charles J. Scicluna to abandon his efforts on fighting corruption. Since he won’t, they are now preparing for war.