The former Mgarr Parish Priest has hit out at his “unfair dismissal” by Archbishop Paul Cremona and Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna and said the two top Curia officials had succumbed to undue pressure by a small group of extreme traditionalists who wanted him out of their parish. In doing so, the Curia is exposing its “leadership crisis”, he said.

In exclusive comments to The Malta Independent, Fr Emanuel Camilleri reacted to a report in L-Orizzont about his dismissal, which claimed he had set out on the wrong foot with parishioners over a ban on unauthorised statues in the Via Sagra procession. The report also claimed that Mgr. Scicluna had personally gone to Mgarr to deliver the bad news and that the parish priest had decided on his own when to be formally appointed as parish priest. But speaking to this newspaper, Dun Emanuel gave his version of the story.

“I did not decide when to appoint myself. The ceremony was due to be held on Saturday 16h August with the Archbishop’s blessing.”

 

‘Scicluna did not stand up for me’

Going back to the April incident, Fr Emanuel says he had nothing to do with the decree, which was issued by the Archbishop before he was even sent to the parish.

“The Curia was fed up with the ever increasing number of unauthorised statues and issued a decree saying that only the statue of Christ the Redeemer could be used in the procession. As parish priest I had to uphold the Curia decree but some did not agree with it. There was even a particular priest who challenged me and defied the order and helped organise the full procession nonetheless.”

The first sign of trouble between Fr Camilleri and Mgr. Charles Scicluna became apparent on Maundy Thursday, when the Auxiliary Bishop “failed” to stand up for the parish priest. “He came with a clear mandate to stand up for me but for some reason did not make the speech he was supposed to make. Instead, he stood up for those who had defied the Curia decree and gave them more ammunition to use against me.”

 

Archbishop decided before hearing both sides

Then, things took a turn for the worse on Thursday last, when Archbishop Paul Cremona summoned Fr Camilleri to the Curia. “He told me that he had been approached by four people who were making a number of claims. They painted an untrue picture that the parish was going backwards, that it was becoming divided and it was my doing. I told him not to let himself be impressed by what these people were claiming but he had a letter asking for my removal from the parish. The decision had already been taken, regardless of the arguments I could have made.”

In his letter, the Archbishop thanked the parish priest for his “obedience” and offered him the chance to go and study abroad. “I told him that what these four parishioners were saying was not true, that I had always sought consensus and that I consulted with everyone. By the end of the meeting I thought that everything was OK and that I could get on with my job.”

On Friday morning, he was summoned to the Curia again, this time by the Auxiliary Bishop. “Mgr. Scicluna said he would tell me what the Archbishop lacked the courage to say. He told me that Mgr Cremona did not want me at Mgarr anymore and that I had to pack up immediately.” The former parish priest said Mgr Scicluna had also been fed untrue information by these four parishioners, who, according to Fr Emanuel are members of the fireworks and festa decorations clubs. He also suspects that they have good contacts with the nuncio.

“I told him that if he wanted to know the truth he should ask the other priests but Mgr Scicluna said he did not want to go back there. I really do not know why they let themselves become so impressed with these lies.”

Mgr. Scicluna had however made up his mind and asked Fr Camilleri to step down.

 

An uncertain future

Soon after the meeting, Fr Emanuel returned to Mgarr, packed up his things and left. He has so far not decided what to do next but he is excluding taking up the offer to study abroad. “I will not accept the offer because of how it was put forward, as if it is some consolation for their mistakes.”

Fr Camilleri says he will not likely serve as parish priest again after the Curia “compromised” him. “After what happened, people will know me as the parish priest who is against tradition. The truth is I enjoyed the support of the majority of Mgarr parishioners. I was also supported when I was parish priest of Mriehel and Msida. I was respected because I listen, understand and always try to find a solution but I also know when to say stop.”

 

Festa donations “unaudited”

Fr Emanuel says that, unlike his predecessor, he was trying to do things right. “The previous parish priest was been allowed to stay at the parish for five years despite his shortcomings. Money raised during the traditional feast auction, many times in excess of €10,000, was not audited. All the money was going into the festa decorations. Even collections held in the weeks prior to the feast.”

Fr Emanuel says many parishioners had no idea of what was going on, that “a few laymen were controlling the parish priest.” The worst is that the Curia was “hardly batting an eyelid” to what was going on.

“I do believe in tradition but I also believe in priorities. There is a limit. I do not think we should keep spending tens of thousands on festa decorations when the money can be better spent on other, more important things, such as the oratory, where catechism lessons are held.”

 

Scicluna ‘sending the church backward’

When asked why the “four individuals” had turned against him, Fr Emanuel said it was probably a clash of ideas. “I think that these people wanted me out because, whilst I support traditions, I also feel that there are bigger priorities than the over the top festa decorations and processions. They obviously think differently.

The former parish priest also accused Mgr. Scicluna of being “a traditionalist who is sending the church backward.”

Fr Emanuel believes he was doing a good job and enjoyed the trust of the vast majority of parishioners but he was pulled after just five months because the top level of the Curia “succumbed to their pressure.”

He insists that this incident has truly exposed the leadership crisis gripping the Church in Malta. “The Curia does not believe those who tell the truth and rewards those who defy its orders and do as they please. In so doing, they are sending out the message that everyone can do they please. This is certainly not the direction it should be giving out.”

Fr Emanuel says, what is worse is the fact that this was not an isolated case. “I am very disappointed by this style of leadership and I told Mgr. Scicluna as much during our meeting. People out there are shocked by what happened.”