Mgr Paul Cremona will today take over the headship of the Maltese Catholic Church when he becomes Archbishop of Malta, succeeding Archbishop Mgr Joseph Mercieca, who led the local church for 30 years.

He will be Malta’s third Archbishop as, apart from Mgr Mercieca, the only other Archbishop was Mgr Michael Gonzi, who took over the reins of the Church in Malta in 1944, becoming Malta’s first-ever Archbishop.

Archbishop Mgr Cremona takes over the helm of the Catholic Church at a rather awkward time, and it will not be an easy task for him to lead the flock when the Church has seemingly lost much of the influence it has enjoyed with the people over many centuries.

For one thing, attendance at Sunday Mass has dropped drastically over the years, meaning that today just over half the population regularly “makes contact” with the Church when, in the past, nearly all of the Maltese did.

Secondly, whereas voices of dissent to Church teachings were few and far between not so long ago, today the Church has to face a bombardment of ideas and concepts that intrinsically go against what it professes.

Thirdly, the Church has recently had to tackle a number of incidents, such as accusations of

sexual abuse from some of the clergy, which have dented its credibility in no small way, and have pushed people further away from it. The decline in the number of vocations has also not helped the Church fulfil the role in the way it would

like to.

The fast developments that have taken over the world, the so-called globalisation process, have also resulted in a Maltese society that has evolved into one that is more open to new ways of life, and this has also had its effect on how the people look at and approach the Church.

Mgr Cremona has so far proved himself to be extremely media-friendly.

He has appeared regularly on television programmes and accepted to give interviews to several newspapers, always taking the opportunity to send out a positive message that the Church is there, after all, to serve its members and lead them towards a better life. Many have likened his behaviour to the way Pope John Paul II used to appear in public, always with a smile and ready to interact with the people.

We do encourage Mgr Cremona to continue being “present” in the media, as this will enable the people to get to know him better and, perhaps more importantly, to discuss issues which are of utmost importance in the world we live in today.

Malta is a country that is changing fast, and Mgr Cremona must be there to understand what is taking place and lead the Church – which is, after all, not only the priests under his administration but all the faithful – in the right path.

The issues that affect society – the institution of the family and the different forms that have emerged over time, bioethical questions, consumerism and money matters – are all issues that the Church has to deal with. And Mgr Cremona must always be at the forefront to tackle these issues in the best way possible.

Judging by the way he has spoken so far and the way he has interacted with all sectors of Maltese society which welcomed him with open arms, Mgr Cremona has already made his way into the hearts of the Maltese.

But the difficult part starts now. These past weeks have brought about a change in Mgr Cremona’s life and have been a period of public celebrations, meetings and spiritual reflection for him.

Tonight, he will be officially Malta’s new Archbishop and, as from tomorrow, his new work will start.

The Malta Independent wishes Mgr Cremona wisdom and serenity, apart from good health, in the new journey he has embarked upon.