Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta

History

Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 A.D when he ordained the Roman governor, Saint Publius, as the first bishop of Malta and saint.

The Diocese of Malta was made a suffragan diocese to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo by a Papal Bull of Pope Adrian IV on 10 July 1156 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III on 26 April 1160. The former Diocese of Malta, which is one of the oldest dioceses in the world, was elevated to archdiocese on January 1, 1944. The Diocese of Malta included the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. On September 22, 1864, the diocese lost the territories of Gozo and Comino when Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Gozo which became a suffragan diocese to Malta.

The Catholic Caritas Malta, one of the best-known civil-society organisations in the country, was founded in 1968 at the initiative of Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi and Bishop Nikol Cauchi.

Cathedrals

There are two cathedrals in the diocese: The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul, in Mdina, and the Co-Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, located in Valletta.

Important dates

• 22 January (previously 21 January) - Memorial of Saint Publius
• 5 February - Memorial of St. Agatha of Sicily
• 10 February - Solemnity of the Shipwreck of St Paul
• 25 February - Memorial of Maria Adeodata Pisani
• 9 May - Feast of St. George Preca
• 1 July - Memorial of Nazju Falzon
• 8 October - Dedication of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Flag

The flag is a bicolour consisting of yellow on left and white on the right. It is a 2:3 ratio; the same as the Maltese flag.

Suffragan

• Diocese of Gozo

Bishops of Malta

Auxiliary Bishops of Malta

• Annetto Casolani (1848–1866)
• Michael Franciscus Buttigieg (1863–1864)
• Salvatore Gaffiero (1899–1906)
• Paolo Rosario Farrugia (1907)
• Angelo Portelli (1911–1927)
• Emmanuele Galea (1942–1974)
• Emanuele Gerada (1967–1968)
• Joseph Mercieca (1974–1976)
• Annetto Depasquale (1998–2011)
• Charles J. Scicluna (2012–2015)
• Joseph Galea-Curmi (2018–)

References

References

1. "Archdiocese of Malta".
2. (2011). "Bejn Kliem u Storja". Books Distributors Limited.
3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190606105126/http://maltahistory.eu5.net/mh/19586.html Malta History]
4. (12 November 2018). "Caritas: Celebrating 50 years on the side of people in need".
5. Castagna, P. P.. (1865). "Malta bil chzejer tehne u li ghadda min ghaliha". Malta: s.n..
6. Fiorini, P. Bonaventura. (1955). "Il Comm. Abela E La Cronologia Episcopale Di Malta". Melita Historica.
7. [http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141018/local/pope-accepts-resignation-archbishop-started-thinking-of-resignation-two-years-ago.540201 "Pope accepts resignation - Archbishop started thinking of resignation two years ago"], ''[[The Times of Malta]]'', 18 October 2014. Retrieved on 18 October 2014.
8. [http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150225/local/archbishop.557601 "Mgr Charles Scicluna to be Malta's next Archbishop"] ''[[The Times of Malta]]'', 25 February 2015. Retrieved on 25 February 2015.