Prosper Grech (24 December 1925 – 30 December 2019) was a Maltese

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

friar, who co-founded the

Patristic Institute Augustinianum The Patristicum, officially the Augustinian Patristic Institute ( la, Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum), is a pontifical institute in Rome, under the supervision of the Order of Saint Augustine. It is an incorporated institute of the Pontif ...

in Rome. He was created a cardinal by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

on 18 February 2012. He was the second Maltese member of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

, the first since 1843.

Formation and studies

Born Stanley Grech in

Vittoriosa Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, on 24 December 1925, he studied at the Lyceum. He took the name Prospero when he joined the

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

in 1943. While Malta was under siege during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Grech served as a gunner in the

Royal Malta Artillery The Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) was a regular artillery unit of the British Army prior to Malta's independence. It was formed in 1889, having been called the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery from 1861 until 1889. Initially on the British Esta ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood at the

Basilica of Saint John Lateran The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 25 March 1950. Grech studied philosophy at St. Mark's Priory,

Rabat, Malta Rabat ( mt, Ir-Rabat, ) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,497 as of March 2014. It adjoins the ancient capital city of Mdina, and a north-western area formed part of the Roman city of Melite until its mediev ...

, and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in St. Monica's College, Rome. He earned a doctorate in theology at the

Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, Rome (1953), obtained a licentiate in sacred scripture from the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. His ...

, Rome (1954), and a diploma in educational psychology from

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...

, Switzerland (1951). Grech conducted research in

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...

at the universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

(1957–58) and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

(1958–59).

Teaching

In 1959, Grech was appointed lecturer at the Augustinian Theological College, Rabat. He also served as professor at the

Augustine Institute The Augustine Institute (AI), located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States, is a private Catholic graduate theology school that offers master's degree programs inspired by Pope John Paul II's call for a New Evangelization. In addition ...

and joined the staff of the

Vicar General for Vatican City The Diocese of Rome ( la, Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana; it, Diocesi di Roma) is the ecclesiastical district under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

. As secretary to the Vicar General, Bishop Petrus Canisius Van Lierde, who was sacristan of the Apostolic Palace, his duties included dressing

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

and

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

for liturgical functions. During the 1963 Papal conclave, he heard Giovanni Battista Montini's confession a couple of hours prior to his election as Pope Paul VI. In 1970, together with Fr. Agostino Trapè, Grech founded the

attached to the

Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Ponti ...

in Rome and served as its president from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS); he became a member of the

Pontifical Academy of Theology The Pontifical Academy of Theology ( it, Pontificia Accademia di Teologia) is a learned society founded in 1718, and is a Pontifical Academy. It is situated at Via della Conciliazione, Vatican City, Rome. History The Pontifical Academy of The ...

in 2003 and of the

Pontifical Biblical Commission The Pontifical Biblical Commission () is a pontifical commission established within the Roman Curia to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of the Bible. Since 1988, it has been closely attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the ...

in 2004. Grech lectured on

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...

for over thirty years at the

in Rome. He became a consultor to the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

in 1984 and went to India on behalf of the congregation as an

apostolic visitor In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is depute ...

of seminaries in 1998. Grech authored various articles and publications and presented lectures on the Bible, hermeneutics and patristics. On 13 December 2011, he was appointed a Companion of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Malta.

Cardinal

announced on 6 January 2012 that he would create Grech a cardinal, together with 21 others, on 18 February 2012. He was the first Augustinian made a cardinal in 111 years. As

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

requires cardinals to be bishops unless they receive special dispensation, Grech was consecrated a bishop on 8 February 2012 by Paul Cremona,

Archbishop of Malta The Archdiocese of Malta ( Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Malta. History Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 ...

, assisted by Archbishop

Giuseppe Versaldi Giuseppe Versaldi (born 30 July 1943) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education from 2015 under that body was merged into the new Dicastery for Culture and Education in 2022. He served ...

, and

Mario Grech Mario Grech (born 20 February 1957) is a Maltese prelate who was Bishop of Gozo from 2005 to 2019. He was Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops from October 2019 until he became Secretary General in September 2020. Pope Francis raise ...

, Bishop of Gozo. He took the episcopal motto ('In you, Lord, I take refuge'), from the opening words of

Psalm 71 Psalm 71 is the 71st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion". It has no title in the Hebrew version. In the slightly different numbering s ...

. He was created a

cardinal deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

in a

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

on 18 February 2012 and assigned the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary de ...

of Santa Maria Goretti. Grech delivered the opening meditation at the

2013 papal conclave The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. On ...

, but his age prevented him from participating as an elector. He warned that the Church was always threatened by disunity: "Between ultra-traditionalist extremists and ultra-progressive extremists, between priests rebelling against obedience and those who don't recognize the signs of the times, there always will be the risk of small schisms that not only damage the church, but go against the will of God." He raised the issue of how the Church hierarchy was handling the sexual abuse crisis: "Today many people are not able to come to believe in Christ because his face is obscured or hidden behind an institution that lacks transparency." When Pope Francis marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Augustinianum, he praised Grech for the "grandiose simplicity" his sermons had achieved in his old age. Grech died in Rome's Santo Spirito Hospital on 30 December 2019.

Notes

References

;Additional sources * Rafael Lazcano, ''Episcopologio agustiniano''. Editorial Agustiniana, Guadarrama (Madrid), 2014, vol. I, pp. 364–386.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grech, Prosper 1925 births 2019 deaths Maltese theologians Maltese cardinals Augustinian friars Augustinian bishops Augustinian cardinals Hermeneutists Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni Patristic Institute Augustinianum Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Roman Catholic titular archbishops Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) Academic staff of the Pontifical Biblical Institute