{"id":526,"date":"2022-02-16T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/?p=526"},"modified":"2022-02-16T13:31:37","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T12:31:37","slug":"is-archbishop-scicluna-headed-for-a-leadership-role-at-the-cdf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/2022\/02\/16\/is-archbishop-scicluna-headed-for-a-leadership-role-at-the-cdf\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Archbishop Scicluna Headed for a Leadership Role at the CDF?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”3.22″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout” sticky_enabled=”0″]

Edward Pentin, writing for the National Catholic Register | February 15, 2022 | Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Photo Credits: Archdiocese of Malta<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#000000″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_orientation=”justified” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”et_body_layout” sticky_enabled=”0″]

VATICAN CITY \u2014 A Maltese prelate who has played a leading role in tackling the clergy sexual-abuse crisis in the Church over the past two decades is being tipped as a possible successor to Cardinal Luis Ladaria as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).<\/p>\n

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, a canonist who has investigated and prosecuted the crime of clergy sexual abuse in the universal Church, has been concurrently serving as both archbishop of Malta and adjunct secretary at the CDF since 2018.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Ladaria, 77, of Spain, is expected to retire soon, possibly in July, leaving Archbishop Scicluna as his likely successor in running the oldest and arguably most prestigious and important of all the Vatican congregations, responsible for safeguarding and promoting faith and morals throughout the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

The CDF\u2019s work also includes a disciplinary section responsible for investigating cases of \u201cgrave delicts,\u201d the most serious crimes in the Church, such as those against the Eucharist and the sanctity of the sacrament of penance \u2014 and, since 2001, the sexual abuse of minors.<\/p>\n

The dicastery also has a third section, which has dealt with marriage cases, but a papal\u00a0<\/span>decree<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Fidem Servare\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(Preserving the Faith), signed on Feb. 11, will transfer that office to the doctrinal section. The decree aims to give doctrine greater prominence in the dicastery after disciplinary matters had taken precedence due to abuse cases in recent years.<\/p>\n

Born in Toronto on May 15, 1959, Charles Jude Scicluna\u2019s parents soon afterwards emigrated to Malta, where he was educated at Catholic schools before studying law at the University of Malta, graduating as a doctor of laws in 1984.<\/p>\n

After attending seminary on the Mediterranean island, he was ordained a priest in 1986. He then studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining a doctorate with a specialization in jurisprudence in 1991.<\/p>\n

He returned to Malta to work as defender of the bond at the Malta Metropolitan Tribunal, lectured in pastoral theology and canon law at the University of Malta, and served as a parish priest. After a short stint as vice rector of Malta\u2019s major seminary from 1994 to 1995, he was then called back to Rome to work at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church\u2019s highest court, as substitute promoter of justice.<\/p>\n

During that time he also served as postulator for the cause of beatification and canonization of Dun \u0120or\u0121 Preca (1880-1962), founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine, whom Pope John Paul II dubbed \u201cMalta\u2019s second father in faith\u201d and whom Benedict XVI canonized in 2007.<\/p>\n

Clergy-Abuse Investigator<\/h2>\n

From 2002 until 2012, then-Msgr. Scicluna served under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and later Cardinal William Levada as the Vatican\u2019s promoter of justice, or chief prosecutor, at a time when clergy sexual-abuse cases were causing shockwaves across the world, especially in the United States.<\/p>\n

His investigations during that time most famously included the disgraced founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. His findings led to Benedict removing Father Maciel from active ministry in 2006.<\/p>\n

In his role as promoter of justice, Archbishop Scicluna was also credited with constructing in 2010 universal norms that extended the Church\u2019s statutes of limitations on reporting cases of sexual abuse and broadened the category of ecclesial crimes to include sexual misconduct with a disabled adult and possession of child pornography.<\/p>\n

As the Vatican\u2019s chief prosecutor, then-Msgr. Scicluna was forthright in condemning the abuse that his investigations had helped to uncover. Addressing priests at a prayer service in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in 2010, he\u00a0<\/span>decried the many sins in the Church<\/a>, such as arrogance, insatiable ambition, and \u201cthe tyranny and injustice of those who take advantage of ministry to advance their careers, to show off, for reasons of futile and miserable reasons of vanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cited Jesus\u2019 warning against corruption of the young, that those who cause \u201cone of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea\u201d (Mark 9:42).<\/p>\n

In 2012, Msgr. Scicluna criticized the tendency to cover up abuse cases in the Church, describing it as a \u201cdeadly culture of silence,\u201d a form of\u00a0<\/span>omert\u00e0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(code of silence used by the mafia to protect themselves from prosecution)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and called for a greater commitment to accountability.<\/p>\n

His reputation assured as a Vatican prosecutor, Pope Francis entrusted Archbishop Scicluna with an investigation into a sexual-abuse scandal in Chile in 2018, sending him to the country to look into allegations \u2014 which the Holy Father had initially denied \u2014 that Chilean Bishop Juan Barros had witnessed and ignored cases of abuse.<\/p>\n

The Maltese prelate\u2019s investigation led to a\u00a0<\/span>2,300-page dossier<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>of testimonies revealing widespread abuse in the country and Francis\u00a0<\/span>apologizing<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for \u201cgrave errors\u201d that he said he had made due to a lack of \u201ctruthful and balanced information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Return to Malta<\/h2>\n

The archbishop\u2019s tenure as promoter of justice ended in 2012, when Benedict XVI appointed him auxiliary archbishop of Malta, a position he held until 2015, when Francis appointed him archbishop of the same diocese.<\/p>\n

Some sources speaking to the Register on background question whether a canonist is an appropriate fit to head a dicastery whose primary expertise is theological. But friends and associates in Malta believe he would be an able prefect and describe him as a compelling and compassionate preacher and a bridge-builder with a good sense of humor who takes criticism in his stride and is attentive to people\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cArchbishop Scicluna is a man of deep spirituality, integrity, vision and an excellent listener, not just of persons, but of the word of God and the signs of the times,\u201d said Nadia Delicata, a professor of moral theology at the University of Malta.<\/p>\n

During his time as archbishop of Malta, he faced a number of crises, including declining Church attendance and vocations, as well as the\u00a0<\/span>assassination<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>in 2017 of Daphne Caruana Galizia \u2014 an investigative journalist whose murder shone a light on government corruption in Malta, plunging it into the greatest political crisis it has ever faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cUndoubtedly, these crises tested Archbishop Scicluna\u2019s mettle,\u201d Andr\u00e9 DeBattista, a Maltese political scientist and author, told the Register. \u201cAt the height of the political crisis, Scicluna was one of the few \u2014 if not the only \u2014 national leaders who had the moral authority to speak truth to power.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did so, DeBattista said, \u201cby calling out corruption, bad governance and rot in the highest echelons of power.\u201d The archbishop\u2019s contribution, although not universally well received, \u201creinforced the role of the Church in Malta as a relevant voice, which has much to contribute to the national discussion,\u201d DeBattista added.<\/p>\n

During the COVID-19 health crisis, the archbishop made regular television appearances that brought him closer to the people, observed Father Joseph Borg, a lecturer in media and communications at the University of Malta. \u201cArchbishop Scicluna\u2019s best asset is his gift of communication,\u201d he said, adding that \u201chis words are simple but never simplistic\u201d and that he can \u201carticulate the most complex and obscure articles of faith in a clear and very down-to-earth manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctrinal Controversies<\/h3>\n

But the Maltese prelate has faced criticism on a number of issues, most significantly on doctrinal positions. In 2017, he and Malta\u2019s second bishop, then-Bishop (now Cardinal) Mario Grech of Gozo, published\u00a0<\/span>guidelines<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>on interpreting Chapter 8 of Pope Francis\u2019 2016 apostolic exhortation,\u00a0<\/span>Amoris Laetitia<\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(The Joy of Love). The document caused an international outcry among some theologians, canonists and others, who argued that it\u00a0<\/span>contradicted<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>previous papal teaching, as well as breached canon law and the Catechism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A key contested passage was their interpretation that\u00a0<\/span>Amoris Laetitia\u00a0<\/span><\/i>allowed some remarried divorcees to receive Holy Communion after a period of discernment, with an informed and enlightened conscience, and if they are \u201cat peace with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archbishop Scicluna\u00a0<\/span>defended<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>the guidelines, saying they \u201cadhered to\u00a0<\/span>Amoris Laetitia\u201d<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>and also \u201cfollowed the interpretation that the Pope approved.\u201d But many local clergy were unconvinced and complained of a\u00a0<\/span>heavy-handed crackdown<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>on anyone unwilling to subscribe to his and Bishop Grech\u2019s interpretation of\u00a0<\/span>Amoris Laetitia\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(Archbishop Scicluna\u00a0<\/span>confirmed<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>to the Register that he had told seminarians if they did not agree with Pope Francis, they were free to leave).<\/p>\n

In 2019, the controversy was still continuing. Pro Malta Christiana (PMC), a lay Catholic association, produced a\u00a0<\/span>66-page booklet<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>denouncing what it identified as \u201cthe clearly heretical interpretation of the apostolic exhortation.\u201d Philip Beattie, the association\u2019s president, told the Register Jan. 21 that neither Archbishop Scicluna nor Bishop Grech \u201cwere able to refute one word or comma of our booklet on doctrinal grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Hector Scerri, associate professor of theology at the University of Malta, insisted to the Register that Archbishop Scicluna has \u201cdefended the Church’s teaching on Christian marriage, our care for the environment, human dignity, the safeguarding of life from conception to its natural end, and a host of other moral and ethical issues which have cropped up in Malta in the last 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said his position on\u00a0<\/span>Amoris Laetitia<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cshows that he is in perfect unison with Pope Francis\u201d and that the guidelines \u201cfocus on the important mission of the Church in accompanying individuals in whatever situation they find themselves in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archbishop Scicluna has also come under fire for closing churches for two Holy Weeks, in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 crisis. The move was again strongly criticized by Pro Malta Christiana, which took out a\u00a0<\/span>full-page advertisement<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>in the\u00a0<\/span>Malta Independent on Sunday\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in June 2020 in which the association argued why it considered the move unjust, harmful to souls, and in breach of the \u201csupposedly complete separation between Church and State.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the association made a filial plea to Malta’s bishops to publicly consecrate the Maltese islands to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but the archbishop \u201ckept silent on this matter and did not issue any reply to PMC’s request,\u201d said Beattie.<\/p>\n

Homosexuality<\/h2>\n

Another recurring controversy has been Archbishop Scicluna\u2019s approach to homosexuality. During the Vatican Abuse Summit in 2019, Archbishop Scicluna, one of the summit\u2019s main organizers,\u00a0<\/span>said<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>heterosexuality and homosexuality \u201care human conditions that we recognize, that exist. But they aren\u2019t something that really predisposes to sin.\u201d He\u00a0<\/span>also said<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that a homosexual subculture in seminaries was not connected to the sexual abuse of minors.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 6, he issued a\u00a0<\/span>formal warning<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>against a Maltese priest for what he called \u201cinflammatory and hurtful comments\u201d against homosexuality on Facebook. Father David Muscat has pleaded\u00a0<\/span>not guilty\u00a0<\/span><\/a>to charges of hate speech. Two years earlier, Archbishop Scicluna had allowed another Maltese priest to\u00a0<\/span>speak approvingly<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>of homosexuality on television and never publicly denounced the priest\u2019s comments, despite\u00a0<\/span>pleas<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>from Maltese faithful.<\/p>\n

The archbishop spoke publicly against \u201cconversion therapy\u201d in\u00a0<\/span>2015<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>2016<\/a>; and, in 2014, he\u00a0<\/span>gave<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cformal permission\u201d for Drachma, a group campaigning for acceptance of same-sex \u201cmarriage\u201d in the Church, to hold meetings. Last month, he again\u00a0<\/span>met the group<\/a>, which praised him for a \u201cpositive and flowing conversation.\u201d Archbishop Scicluna also\u00a0<\/span>reportedly once gave<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>a special blessing to a former priest who is \u201cmarried\u201d to another man; and, in 2019, he inadvertently\u00a0<\/span>approved a tweet<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>endorsing New York\u2019s \u201cgay pride\u201d parade.<\/p>\n

Father Scerri said Achbishop Scicluna\u2019s approach \u201cvis-\u00e0-vis homosexual persons is focused on accompanying them,\u201d adding that, in a recent homily, he \u201crepeatedly emphasised that gays are part of our family, and they deserve all our respect.\u201d Father Scerri said the archbishop had \u201ceven apologized for all those instances when the Church or its members have, in any way, hurt these brothers and sisters by insensitive statements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Widespread Appreciation\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Despite the concerns, there is widespread appreciation for the archbishop for his record on dealing with the abuse of minors.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite naturally, his ministry fighting sex abuse is internationally known and acclaimed,\u201d said Father Borg, who added that the Church in Malta \u201calready had clear and effective guidelines, but Scicluna strengthened the structures safeguarding the vulnerable, most of all children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis appointment to the Vatican would be a loss,\u201d he said, \u201cbut we all knew that it would happen, sooner or later.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Maltese prelate has served as adjunct secretary at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-archbishop-charles-scicluna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":532,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions\/532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msfcc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}