The Maltese church is mourning a saintly bishop – an apostle of patience and kindness. These are the virtues for which he will long be remembered. However, to those lucky to have known him, Bishop Annetto Depasquale was also a great intellectual: well-informed and well-read. He was one of the best brains in the Church of Malta.

Once, in 1999, when I was a student, I was doing some research in the University library. Bishop Depasquale saw me and came up to speak to me. He asked me what I was doing and when I explained that I was preparing a presentation about St Paul’s vision of love and death he smiled and walked away.

The next day, very early in the morning, I received a letter: four pages in beautiful handwriting, full of quotations from St Paul with references – line, verse and chapter. There was also a whole list of authors and reference readings. The bishop had found time in the night to help a simple university student. 

I was so pleasantly surprised that I made a point of going to thank him personally. When I asked him how he had found the time to do this research for me in just a few hours, he smiled and replied that he had it “up here”, pointing to his forehead.

He explained that once he came across a quotation, he had a problem because it would stay on his mind for ever. He was a person with a mental prowess that very few are ever blessed with.

When Mgr Depasquale was a young priest, the then Archbishop of Malta, Mgr Gonzi, wanted to send him to Rome to study Canon Law. Mons. Depasquale wished to study Pastoral Theology and tried to change his archbishop’s mind, but in vain. Being an obedient servant of the Church, he proceeded to Rome to obtain a doctorate in Canon Law and, with the archbishop’s permission, simultaneously managed to obtain a degree in Pastoral Theology.

God blessed him with many talents but also tried him in a very hard way. Although in pain, especially in the last few years, he never lost his smile, the clarity of his mind or, above all, his empathy with others much less gifted than him.

Hearing him speak to the residents of Qormi, whom he loved immensely, I was amazed by how great he really was. He was revered for his disposition and spirituality. Hopefully, the Church will endeavour to publish some of his works: the Maltese people and the Church have so much to learn from this humble and holy bishop who had a heart of gold.

Paul Fenech

Swieqi Local Councillor