An evaluation of the episcopate of Bishop Carmelo Scicluna through his pastoral letters (1875-1888)

Abstract

The present Archbishop of Malta, Mgr Charles J. Scicluna, is not the first bishop of these islands to bear this surname. One hundred and forty years ago, another Archbishop Scicluna was head of the Catholic Church in Malta. Taking the cue from this coincidence, I here undertake to study the episcopate of the earlier Carmelo Scicluna, particularly through his pastoral letters. Notwithstanding the fact that study of any one episcopate may seem dry, since for many this is simply an exercise of listing relative events and reconstructing a chronological table, yet this type of traditional historical study can be a useful means to open a window on the situation of a local Church during a particular epoch or specific moment of its history. The episcopate of Mgr Carmelo Scicluna, like most aspects of the Church’s life in the second half of nineteenth century Malta, has been largely neglected by local historiography apart from significant contributions on Church-State relations. The opportunity for resuscitating Scicluna and his thirteen-year episcopate from historical oblivion has been provided by the fact that he accidentally shares both his name, and somewhat, his village of origin, Qormi, with the present Archbishop of Malta, in whose honour this present volume is being published. So let us allow historical chance to provide us with an occasion to shed some light on the episcopate of the elder Scicluna, and on the Church in Malta during this time.