Dominican friar and former Archbishop Pawlu Cremona passed away last night at Mater Dei Hospital around midnight at the age of 79. In his final years, he faced health challenges, including diabetes.
Pawlu Cremona served as Archbishop of Malta from January 2007 until his resignation in 2015, following pressure to resign from a group of clerics, including Joe Borg and Rene Camilleri. Hardline clerics sought to replace Archbishop Pawlu Cremona with someone who could take a stronger stance in favor of the Church and the Catholic faith, as the Labour government successfully advanced a wave of liberalisation in Malta’s legal code. This included the removal of censorship in the arts, the decriminalisation of religious vilification, the introduction of divorce, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage. At the end of his tenure as Archbishop, Cremona struggled to appease the hardline factions within the Church, who felt overwhelmed by societal changes and believed he was ignoring what they saw as a spiraling moral crisis.
In fact, Pawlu Cremona is remembered for his charisma and gentle nature, which was initially regarded as an asset to the Church as it continued to struggle with declining attendance and a shortage of new clergy. Eventually, his gentle nature become a liability at a time of national crisis and a less influential Church. He was loved and appreciated by many and will be remembered as someone who sought to remain kind in the face of adversity, embodying fundamental Christian values.
The government announced a State Funeral on the 22nd March at the Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta. An agreement has been reached by the Church and the government to jointly organise the funeral together. The government also announced the day of his funeral as a day of mourning.
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