British Diplomacy and the election of Bishop Gaetano Pace Forno

Abstract

The official policy followed by the British towards the Church since they first set foot on Malta in 1800 was: liberty, protection and cooperation. In their very first proclamation, the British solemnly promised that "all rights, privileges and immunities in Church and state" were to be preserved. More or less, they kept their word as long as local religious affairs were concerned. However, in the relations of the local Church with the centre of Christendom, Rome, they did not stay aloof of all proceedings. Sometimes, it must be admitted, they intervened in matters after being invited to do so by local contending parties to tip the balance one way or another; more often they intervened in affairs to channel them according to their own likings and to their own advantage. One such case is the affair under consideration - the election of the Augustinian Padre Gaetano Pace Forno to the bishopric of Malta in 1857.