Emanuel Scicluna, the father of Archbishop Mgr Charles Scicluna, died early this morning in a Rome hospital, the Curia said. He was 85.

He is survived by his wife Maria Carmela and their other children Monica, Josette and Jesmond.

In an interview with The Malta Independent in the week that Mgr Scicluna was installed as Malta's archbishop, Mr Scicluna had said bthat Cardinal Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict, had wanted Mgr Scicluna to work with him and, with his legal background, Mgr Scicluna had chosen to go to Rome, eventually becoming the Vatican's chief prosecutor in abuse cases.

Mr Scicluna had spoken about his son's inclination towards the priesthood as from a young age. "Charles would place a table in the middle of the room and would cover it with a piece of cloth and use the table as an altar". He had said that the family had noticed Charles religious calling as from the age of 10. But Charles was never an altar boy simply because his father had advised him against him because, at the time, altar boys were asked to help carry the deceased.

Mr Scicluna had also spoken about his son's passion for music and reading, and his previous move to Canada where Charles was born.

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Speaker of the House of Representatives expressed their sorrow.