Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/997322
3 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 JUNE 2018 SAVIOUR BALZAN MALTA'S most powerful prel- ate could be tipped for his elevation to a Prince of the Church, as observers yesterday took note of the appointment of vicar-general Joe Galea Cur- mi, 54, to Auxiliary Bishop. Archbishop Charles Scicluna, 59, could see himself return to the Vatican – where he spent years at the side of then Car- dinal Joseph Ratzinger in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – in the unantici- pated vacancy of Malta's only Cardinal. For months now, the Birkirka- ra-born diocesan priest Joe Galea Curmi had been touted for the post that Scicluna once occupied to take the side of his predecessor, Archbishop Paul Cremona. Galea Curmi's appointment is indeed a decision that enjoys the full support of Scicluna, even though it is mandated by the Holy See, which will view the appointment as prepara- tion for Malta's next archbish- op. Galea Curmi served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Malta for the past three years, in recent days having taken a strong stand against the new embryo freezing law. Celebrat- ing Mass in Wardija this week, Galea Curmi said that it was very sad to note that there will be an increase in "human lives that are frozen for many years in the hope that they will be accepted instead of thrown away." Galea Curmi has also been vo- cal about environmental issues, criticising the commercialisa- tion of St Julian's – which he said has been exploited for the benefit of the few. A lec- turer in pastoral theology and liturgy and canon law at the University of Malta, Galea Curmi is brother to Edgar Galea Curmi, the for- mer chief of staff of Lawrence Gonzi who served as Prime Min- ister from 2004 until 2013. Scicluna has been espe- cially busy in the recent past, after being appoint- ed by Pope Francis as his chief investigator in the clerical sex abuse cases inside the Chilean clergy. Indeed, Scicluna's find- ings even led Pope Francis to renege on his initial pub- lic support against clergy accused of allegations of sexual abuses to offer an apology to the victims. Scicluna's appointment to the Cardinalate, where he would form part of the conclave that elects the Roman Pontiff, is 'complicated' since a small diocese like Malta tends to be represented by just one cardi- nal – in this case, the 92-year- old Prospero Grech, appointed in 2012 after an absence of 168 years for a Maltese cardinal. The appointment was made by Benedict XVI. Only should Grech pass away, would Scicluna find it likely to be made a cardinal. Scicluna already enjoys great respect in Rome. As Benedict's czar, Scicluna was said to em- body the Roman Pontiff's zero- tolerance of sexual abuse, in the words of La Stampa's An- drea Tornelli: "He placed spe- cial emphasis on the suffering of abuse victims and promul- gated a series of 'emergency' laws. Not surprisingly, these special laws sparked an internal debate in the Holy See." Undoubtedly, this must have been part of the reason why Francis brought Scicluna back into play in the Chilean inves- tigation, where his 2,300-page report prompted the resigna- tion en masse of the 31 active Chilean bishops and three re- tired ones in Rome – the first known time in history that an entire national bishops' confer- ence resigns over scandal. And it was only after Scicluna's re- port that Francis performed a volte-face on the Barros af- fair, blaming a "lack of truthful and balanced information" and apologising in person to the three main whistleblowers. Scicluna looks to Vatican as Galea Curmi steps in Left: Archbishop Charles Scicluna, and top, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea Curmi