Pope Benedict XVI yesterday announced he will be appointing a Maltese Cardinal, the second ever in the Church’s history. He is Fr Prospero Grech, who at the age of 86, cannot vote in a papal election; Cardinals over 80 cannot vote but can take part in preparatory meetings.
The announcement was made at midday, after the Angelus, when the Pope explained he would be holding a Consistory at which a number of Cardinals will be created.
The appointment is to take place on 18 February. The only Maltese Cardinal there has ever been before was Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata, who was appointed in 1818. He has a street named after him, in Sta Venera.
Fr Grech, an Augustinian, was among 22 new cardinals named. His given name at baptism was Stanley.
The new Cardinals include prelates from New York, Hong Kong, Berlin, Prague, Toronto and Florence, and some key Vatican offices.
The Vatican officials include a Brazilian prelate who heads the office for consecrated life.
Of the 22 cardinals named, 18 are under 80 - raising to 125 the numbers of those eligible to vote in a papal conclave.
Cardinals, Princes of the Church as they are known, are the pope’s key advisers and are members of the select group that will eventually elect Benedict’s successor. In preparation for the Conclave, the College of Cardinals holds daily meetings and handles Church business that must be attended to between popes. The meetings give all Cardinals the chance to speak up about the different issues under discussion.
The older, more experienced Cardinals may be sought for advice about what would be best for the future of the Church.
In a statement, the Maltese Curia said:
“It is with great joy for the people of our islands, especially the Catholic Church, that among them is a Maltese priest, Fr Prospero Grech”.
The Maltese Bishops added they consider this appointment as a personal tribute to Fr Grech and also a recognition of the contribution that the Church in Malta has given and continues to give to the Universal Church.
“It will be a great pleasure for us to welcome and celebrate this honour bestowed on Fr Grech in the near future,” the bishops said.
Fr Grech is an Augustinian Friar who has studied the Holy Scriptures in depth. He was born in Vittoriosa and resides in Rome.
He was ordained priest at St John Lateran in Rome in March 1950. In 1970, together with Fr Agostino Trapè, Fr Grech founded the Istituto Patristico Augustinianum, Rome, which has since acquired a notable reputation. He is a professor of biblical theology at the Lateran University in Rome and consulter to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Cardinal Sceberras Testaferrata served between 1818 and 1843. He cast his vote in conclave at the Palazzo Quirinale at the election of Pope Leo XII in 1823, again in 1829 at the election of Pope Pius VIII, and of Pope Gregory XVI in 1831.
In a statement, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, in the name of the government and the Maltese people, congratulated Fr Grech. Congratulations were also expressed by the Augustinian community in Malta.
Last month Fr Grech was made Companion of the National Order of Merit for his publications and writings.
Additional reporting AP