Let’s Not Forget What Joe Borg Wrote About Archbishop Cremona When Scicluna’s Close Friend, Steve Mallia, Was Sunday Times Editor

I had not intended to comment on the controversy surrounding the unceremonious and, some would say, the underhanded way in which certain individuals within the Curia—closely aligned with the narrative promoted by Daphne Caruana Galizia—ensured the removal of the much-loved Archbishop Paul Cremona.

However, it is expected that when a great man passes away, he is commemorated, and his life is discussed. This is the essence of solemn obituaries. The public, therefore, has every right to reflect on and comment on the words of a Dominican friar who spoke on television. At the same time, the body of the late and beloved archbishop was being transported to the Co-Cathedral, accompanied by cathedral canons and the current Archbishop, Charles Scicluna.

For those who argue that Tabone exaggerated or that his comments were inappropriate, I am simply reposting the final paragraphs of an article written in 2014 by Fr. Joe Borg—a diocesan priest widely regarded as the Catholic Church’s media expert and guru.

His article—or more precisely, the final sentences of it—published in The Times of Malta effectively triggered the campaign against Archbishop Cremona. As the Latins say, finis coronat opus—Borg saved his real message for the end of his long and tortuous article, where he stated:

This passage was then picked up by the editor of The Sunday Times, who published a short article on the front page to ensure that the message against Cremona gained maximum visibility. The editor titled it: “Leadership of Church is in Crisis – Fr. Joe Borg”.

The attacks were so vicious that even former Labour columnist Lino Spiteri suggested that an “attempted coup” was underway within the Church’s hierarchy. And he was entirely correct. Thus, Fr. Charles Tabone did not say anything new. He merely repeated what had already been public knowledge eleven years ago. It may seem like a revelation only to those who did not live through those turbulent days.

However, there is another less visible but equally important point that deserves attention. When Fr. Joe Borg wrote his article, Steve Mallia was the editor of The Sunday Times. Mallia held the position from 2007 to 2016.

What is perhaps less widely known is that Mallia is a close friend of Charles Scicluna, the current Archbishop of Malta. It is well known within Curia circles that Scicluna and Mallia regularly go jogging together. Notably, this friendship did not weaken after Cremona’s removal—it only grew stronger. I will leave it to the reader to draw their conclusions.

Still, as the Maltese saying goes: Id-dnub ma jorqodx—sin does not sleep. One day, it will be exposed.

The irony in all of this? Those within the Curia who were behind the attacks on Cremona will now be the chief mourners at his funeral.