Ecumenism in the Archdiocese of Malta during the Episcopate of Archbishop Joseph Mercieca (1976–2007)

Abstract

The long episcopate of Mgr Joseph Mercieca, Archbishop of Malta from 1976 to 2007, is characterized by the fruitful application and implementation of the Second Vatican Council in this European nation, at the southernmost tip of the European Union of which it has been a member since 2004. This research article studies the gradual development of the Ecumenical Movement in this predominantly Catholic nation from the years immediately following the Council, right through the many initiatives during the period of Mercieca’s leadership of the Church in Malta, particularly the establishment of a Diocesan Ecumenical Commission on a sure footing, the collaboration with other Churches and ecclesial communities, the two pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II and the celebration of a Diocesan Pastoral Synod in the concluding years of his episcopate. This article serves as a case study on the genesis and the subsequent development of ecumenical relations in a local Church, the ecumenical initiatives taken over the years, and the way forward in this important pastoral dimension of an extrovert Church.