A Pastoral Letter has been issued by Mgr Mario Grech, Apostolic Administrator for Gozo, on the occasion of the appointment of a new Bishop for the Diocese of Gozo – We Have a New Diocesan Bishop.

The Letter is shown in full below.

“We welcome Fr Anton Teuma affectionately and joyously as our new Bishop. We had long been waiting for the Apostolic Nuncio to give us this welcome news: it was well worth waiting for, because in the person of this priest we not only have a man after God’s heart but also after the heart of this particular Church.

Although it is Pope Francis who has called Fr Anton to be one of the successors of the Apostles, and has sent him to watch over the people of God in this island, the choice was made by the Holy Spirit.After a long process of discernment involving a fair number of Bishops, priests, consecrated persons and members of the laity, the Pope could say that “‘it has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves’ (Acts 15:28) to send you Twanny.”

From what I know about Fr Anton I feel reassured in describing the Bishop-elect as “one who has dedicated his life to the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26). With this phrase, taken from the Letter which the Apostles wrote in the Council of Jerusalem, I am saying everything there is to be said.

I have no doubt that Fr Anton has a big heart overflowing with love for all of us, especially those who are little in the wide sense of the word. I entreat you to welcome him and love him: he is our father. A Bishop’s greatest sorrow is when he tries his best to love his children and this love is refused.Over time he will meet people who will throw stones at him, but I am convinced he will not be paying back anyone for this. And when he is suffering, pour balm and not vinegar over his wounds. As with Jesus, one never forgets those who, like the woman in Bethany, broke the neck of the alabaster jar full of the scented oil of pure nard to pour it over one’s wounds!

I urge you to regard him with the eyes of obedient faith. Because if we do not want a Bishop who “is a shepherd to his sheep in the name of the Lord and who exercises his office of teacher, sanctifier and leader” (Christus Dominus, 11), that would mean that we want a Bishop who is not a Bishop – it would mean we would want someone clothed in the trappings of a bishop without his being a bishop! Communion with the Bishop is one of the main arteries of the Diocese – if this artery is cut the body will face graver risks.

The news that Fr Anton is the ninth Bishop of our beloved Diocese has been given before the image, so dear to us, of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, which has just been brought back from restoration. It was my wish that this announcement be made in Mary’s home and not at the Curia; I wanted this gift to be given to us while “the Church” was gathered together with Mary. Because cut off from the context of a praying Church, beyond a spiritual framework, the office of Bishop does not make much sense.Furthermore, as we are gathered together before the image of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu – the Church’s trophy in Gozo – I wanted to entrust the new Bishop to Mary’s motherly care. Just as from this Image Mary never ceases to utter the invitation “Come,” so from the bottom of my heart, dear Fr Anton, I entreat you to persist steadfastly in calling us to go to Jesus through Mary.

While exhorting you to support him today and always through your fervent prayer and through penance, later on we will be giving you more information about the Consecration and the Solemn Entry of Bishop-elect Teuma.”

Given at the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, Gharb, Gozo, today, Wednesday, the 17th of June.

+MARIO GRECH

Apostolic Administrator for Gozo

Photos from top: Fr Anton Teuma with H.H. Pope Francis; With H.H. Pope John Paul II; Trekking and hiking on the Dolomites; and from this morning at Ta’ Pinu – (bottom photos by Joe Grech)

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