The appointment of Bishops to the See of Malta has always been, at least since
Medieval times, an event of great concern to various Sovereign Powers of the
Island and the Holy See. It was a source of problematic issues during the period
when Malta was under the Knights of St. John and it turned to be a thorny one
under British Rule. There were no such difficulties under the French as no Episcopal
vacancy occurred during the time of their occupation. After the Treaty of Paris
(1814), when Malta became part of the British Empire, the British considered
themselves the lawful heirs - as the actual Sovereign of Malta - of the old
right enjoyed by the King of Sicily, to present to the Holy See the candidates
to the Maltese Bishopric. This pretended right of presentation soon developed,
under British Rule, into a disputed claim of 'approval' which eventually equalled
to the right of a 'Veto' against any Ecclesiastic who was not acceptable to
the Crown.
One such person was Padre Antonio M. Buhagiar, a Franciscan Capuchin Friar.
This specific case, perhaps unique in Maltese Ecclesiastical History, did occur
between the years 1884-1888 when the ailing Bishop of Malta, Mgr. Carmelo dei
Conti Scicluna, was considered unfit to run the Diocese and the appointment
of an Administrator was felt necessary.
Bishop Buhagiar was appointed despite opposition and was very much on alert
against any attempt of protestant propaganda in Malta. In July 1866 (this
date I feel should read 1886), when a branch of the Primrose League
was founded in Malta, he immediately, on account that it was not a Catholic
Association, prohibited Maltese Catholics from subscribing to it. The English
Bishop of Nottingham, Mgr. Bagshawe considered the League objectionable
for Catholics as well because of its religious ambiguity, even though it
promoted Imperial interests. The 'Malta Standard' of the 21st and 'Il Resorgimento'
of the 25th July, 1887, were very critical to the Bishop's Pastoral which
considered the League as having religious and not political aims.
Similar measures were also taken by Bishop Buhagiar against local papers for
spreading doctrines against Catholic Faith and morals.
Evidently these actions were looked upon unfavourably by all those who did not
see eye to eye with Mgr. Buhagiar's administration. In fact, Sir L. Simmons (Governor of Malta)
was not single-handed in his endeavours to remove Buhagiar from Malta and to
promote Bishop Pace of Gozo instead. It was a well known fact that some prominent
members of the Diocesan clergy were not happy to see this Capuchin Friar at
the helm of the church in Malta. |  |
Index Page