Top Vatican sex-abuse prosecutor named auxiliary bishop of Malta
October 08, 2012
Msgr. Charles Scicluna, who has been the Vatican’s top prosecutor in sex-abuse cases, has been named an auxiliary bishop in his native Malta.
Msgr. Scicluna, a longtime official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), rose to prominence during his persistent investigation into the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the late Father Marcial Maciel. Since 2002, when then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger arranged to have the CDF take jurisdiction over cases of clerical sex abuse, he has been the lead prosecutor. He has earned a reputation for his tough stand against abuse and his insistence on restoring integrity to the priesthood.
The appointment as an auxiliary bishop is not, at first glance, a major advancement for Msgr. Scicluna; several of his former colleagues at the CDF, who had worked closely there with Pope Benedict, have been named to key positions in the Roman Curia. However, as an auxiliary in Malta, Msgr. Scicluna will be serving under Archbishop Paul Cremona, who, although he is only 66 years old, is reportedly in ill health. Thus the former Vatican prosecutor could be poised to assume responsibility for the archdiocese in the near future.
The Vatican has not yet announced a replacement for Msgr. Scicluna at the CDF.
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