Mario Grech to be appointed first Gozitan Cardinal, ceremony on 28 November
Mario Grech, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops and the former Bishop of Gozo will be elevated to the rank of Cardinal, the Gozo Diocese said yesterday.
In a surprise announcement from his studio window to faithful standing below in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said 13 churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on November 28.
"In his mass, Pope Francis just honoured us with the appointment of the first Gozitan Cardinal, Mario Grech, Bishop Emeritus of Gozo and Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. Congratulations," the Gozo diocese said.
Grech had served as Gozo Bishop for 15 years before he was succeeded by Anton Teuma. Grech's move from Gozo to the Vatican had been announced last year, when Pope Francis had appointed him as Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.
Malta has had Cardinals in the past. Cardinal Fabrizio 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. Prospero Grech was also a Maltese Cardinal, but was not able to vote as he was over the age of 80. He died in 2019 at the age of 94.
Grech is aged 63 and thus will be able to vote in conclave.
President of Malta George Vella congratulated Mario Grech. “On behalf of all Maltese, the President augurs that, in this new role, Mgr Grech employs his vast knowledge and experience, as well as his determination, for the benefit of all.” The Curia also issued a statement congratulating Grech on behalf of all the Maltese and Gozitan Bishops.
The Maltese government issued a statement about Grech’s elevation to the Cardinal rank as well. The statement read that this news would see the third Maltese elevated to the rank of Cardinal in the country’s history. “This is a privilege and an honour for Mons. Grech, but is also an honour for Malta and Gozo.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech echoed the government’s sentiments, congratulating Mario Grech and calling the announcement an honour for the country.
Other new cardinals announced by the Pope on Sunday include an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the Vatican, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa; the Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Feurte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos.
Another Franciscan who was tapped is Friar Mauro Gambetti, in charge of the Sacred Convent in Assisi. The pope, when elected in 2013, chose St. Francis of Assisi as his namesake saint, and earlier this month, the pontiff journeyed to that hill town in Umbria to sign an encyclical, or important church teaching document, about brotherhood.
In a reflection of the Pope's stress on helping those in need, especially the poor, Francis also named the former director of the Rome Catholic charity, Caritas, the Rev. Enrico Feroci, to be a cardinal.
No details were immediately given by the Vatican about the concistory, as the formal ceremony to make the churchmen cardinals is known, especially in view of travel restrictions involving many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.