Professor Monsignor Emmanuel Agius has been appointed President of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation for the 2026/2027 term, with the appointment taking effect on 1 August 2026.
Agius returns to the role after having previously served as President of the Foundation and has remained involved as a member of its governing body. His appointment follows the completion of the tenure of Colonel Dr Mark Mallia, whose service as President was acknowledged by the Foundation.
Established in 2001 through an agreement between the Government of Malta and the Catholic Church, the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation is responsible for the management, preservation and restoration of St John's Co-Cathedral and its museum. The Foundation is tasked with safeguarding the cathedral's religious function while conserving one of Malta's most significant artistic and cultural landmarks according to internationally recognised conservation standards.
In a statement, Agius said he was honoured to take on the role once again.
"I accept this appointment with gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility. It is a privilege to serve once again as President of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation and to contribute to its ongoing work. The year ahead brings important projects that will continue to strengthen the Co-Cathedral's role as a sacred place of worship and a national cultural landmark. I look forward to working closely with the Council and staff in the year ahead," he said.
The Foundation said Agius will oversee ongoing efforts to preserve and promote the Co-Cathedral, including restoration and conservation projects, while continuing to strengthen its cultural, educational and religious role.
Agius is Professor of Moral Theology and Philosophical Ethics at the University of Malta and former Dean of the Faculty of Theology. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Malta before pursuing postgraduate studies at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He also carried out post-doctoral research in bioethics at the University of Tübingen in Germany, Georgetown University and the University of Notre Dame in the United States, where he was a Fulbright scholar and a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
He serves on the European Group of Ethics in Science and New Technologies, an advisory body to the European Commission, and is also a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and moderator of the Commission on Ethics within the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE). Over the years, he has also contributed to national and international bioethics initiatives, including Malta's National Consultative Bioethics Committee and UNESCO-supported programmes on intercultural dialogue and human rights.
In 2018, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna appointed Agius as a member of the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter, while in 2019 he joined the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation. In 2020, he was awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika in recognition of his contribution to bioethics and professional ethics in Malta and internationally.
The Foundation said it looks forward to Agius's leadership as it continues its mission of preserving St John's Co-Cathedral as both a place of worship and one of Malta's foremost cultural heritage sites.