Joseph Mercieca

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Roman Catholic
Previous post(s)Auxiliary Bishop of Malta (1974–1976)
Judge of the Sacred Roman Rota (1969–1974)
Consulter to the Congregation of the Sacraments and of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (1974–1976)
Rector of the Gozo Major Seminary (1959–1969)[1]

Joseph Mercieca (

Archbishop of Malta
.

Biography

Father Mercieca was appointed, by Pope Paul VI, to judge the Roman Rota.[3]

Five years later

Archdiocese of Malta
.

Archbishop Mecieca is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following Count Gonzi's dispute with the Malta Labour Party in the 1950s and 1960s. A new dispute between the church and the Labour government arose in the 1980s over church schools and property, but this was resolved without creating long-lasting divisions.[7]

Mercieca was appointed a member of the Xirka Ġieħ ir-Repubblika in 1995.[8]

Archbishop Mercieca offered his resignation to Pope John Paul II on 11 November 2003. He remained archbishop until 2 December 2006,[7] and was succeeded by Paul Monsignor Cremona in January 2007.[8] Archbishop Mercieca had a brother who is also a priest serving in his home parish of St. George in Victoria.

Death

Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil also expressed their sadness on Twitter.[8] Flags on government buildings were flown at half-mast for three days to mourn Mercieca.[9]

Gravestone in St. Paul's Cathedral

Mercieca's funeral was held on 23 March at

St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina. The funeral was attended by the highest authorities of Malta, including President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Evarist Bartolo on behalf of Prime Minister Muscat, and Simon Busuttil.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Archbishop Joseph Mercieca". Catholic-Hierarchy. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  2. ISBN 978-99957-0137-6. Archived from the original
    on 5 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Archbishop Mgr Joseph Mercieca". Times of Malta. 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Archbishop Mgr Guzeppi Mercieca at St George's yesterday". Gozo News. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Diamond Jubilee Of priesthood ordination of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca". The Malta Independent. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca: 60 years a priest". MaltaStar.com. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Archbishop Mercieca passes away – tributes to a 'humble, prudent and firm' priest". Times of Malta. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca passes away, aged 87". The Malta Independent. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Maltese flags half mast in solidarity with Brussels". Times of Malta. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Last respects paid to 'man of all seasons' Ġużeppi Mercieca". Times of Malta. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Auxiliary Bishop of Malta
1974–1976 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Archbishop of Malta

1976–2006 		Succeeded by
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