Mario Grech

Mario Grech was born in Qala, Gozo, on 20 February 1957.{{cite press release | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date= 20 November 2005 | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 20.11.2005 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2005/11/26/0598/01511.html | language = it | publisher = Holy See Press Office}} His family moved to Ta' Kerċem when he was a young boy.Born in Qala, he lived in Ta' Kerċem – now a Vatican Cardinal, Mario Micallef, TVM News, 28 November 2020, On-Line: {{Cite web |title=Born in Qala, he lived in Ta' Kerċem – now a Vatican Cardinal |url=https://tvmnews.mt/en/news/born-in-qala-he-lived-in-ta-kercem-now-a-vatican-cardinal/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=TVM.mt |date=28 November 2020 |language=en-GB}} He attended the Victoria high school and then studied philosophy and theology at the Gozo diocesan seminary. He was ordained a priest on 26 May 1984 by Bishop Nikol Joseph Cauchi.{{Cite web |title=Farewell to Bishop Grech |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/farewell-to-bishop-grech.814236 |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Times of Malta |date=26 August 2020 |language=en-gb}} He then obtained a licenciate in civil law and canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University and a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

He then fulfilled pastoral assignments at the Cathedral of Gozo, in the National Shrine of Ta' Pinu, and the parish of Kerċem. His responsibilities for the Diocese of Gozo included service as Judicial Vicar of the diocese, a member of the Metropolitan Court of Malta, teacher of canon law at the seminary, and a member of the College of Consultors, of the Presbyteral Council and of other diocesan commissions.

On 26 November 2005, Pope Benedict XVI named him Bishop of Gozo. He received his episcopal consecration on 22 January 2006 from his predecessor in Gozo, Bishop Nikol Joseph Cauchi.{{cite news | title= Mgr Mario Grech's legacy as Bishop of Gozo |first = Monique | last =Agius | work = Newsbook | date = 27 August 2020 | url = https://newsbook.com.mt/en/mgr-mario-grechs-legacy-as-bishop-of-gozo/ | access-date = 29 November 2020}} In 2011, he joined other Maltese bishops in advising Catholics to defeat a referendum that would allow the legislature to consider legalizing divorce.{{cite news | url =https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/22597/malta-bishops-say-divorce-voters-are-accountable-to-jesus | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date= 23 May 2011 | title = Malta bishops say divorce voters are 'accountable to Jesus' | work = Catholic News Agency}}

As president of the Episcopal Conference of Malta, he participated in the Synod of Bishops on the Family in 2014 and 2015.{{cite press release | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date= 15 September 2015| title = XIV Assemblea Generale Ordinaria del Sinodo dei Vescovi (4-25 ottobre 2015) - Elenco dei Partecipanti, 15.09.2015| url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2015/09/15/0676/01469.html | language = it | publisher = Holy See Press Office}} Speaking to the Synod in October 2014, Grech said that "the doctrine of the faith is capable of progressively acquiring a greater depth" and that addressing people in complex familial relations, or homosexuals or parents of homosexuals, "It is necessary to learn to speak that language which is known to contemporary human beings and who acknowledge it as a way of conveying the truth and the charity of the Gospel."{{cite press release | publisher = Archdiocese of Malta | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date = 8 October 2014 | url = http://thechurchinmalta.org/en/posts/45582/speech-by-bishop-mario-grech-during-the-iii-extraordinary-general-assembly-of-the-synod-of-bishops |title = Speech by Bishop Mario Grech during the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops }} With Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, Grech co-authored the Maltese bishops' pastoral guidelines on Amoris Laetitia, released in January 2017, which stated that in certain cases a divorced Catholic who remarried might receive Communion after "honest discernment".{{cite news | url = https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/10/02/pope-francis-appoints-maltese-bishop-pro-secretary-general-of-synod-of-bishops/ | work = Catholic Herald | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date= 2 October 2019 | title = Pope Francis appoints Maltese bishop pro-secretary general of Synod of Bishops |agency = Catholic News Agency | first = Hannah | last = Brockhaus }} The guidelines were republished in L'Osservatore Romano.{{cite news | work = Crux | url = https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/01/20/malta-bishop-denies-threatening-suspend-anti-amoris-priests/ | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date = 20 January 2017 | title = Malta bishop denies threatening to suspend anti-'Amoris' priests | first = Inés | last = San Martín | archive-date = 15 October 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191015142236/https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/01/20/malta-bishop-denies-threatening-suspend-anti-amoris-priests/ | url-status = dead }}{{efn|The guidelines said: "If, as a result of the process of discernment, a separated or divorced person who is living in a new relationship manages, with an informed and enlightened conscience, to acknowledge and believe that he or she is at peace with God, he or she cannot be precluded from participating in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist."}}

In a December 2018 interview, he said he enjoyed discussions with atheists that sharpened his own beliefs and preferred dialogue to the confrontation his critics preferred. When asked about family and sexual issues he said:{{cite interview | date =16 December 2018 |title= Closer to the Infinite: Bishop Mario Grech | work = Malta Today | first = Mario | last = Grech | url = https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/interview/91694/closer_to_the_infinite__bishop_mario_grech | interviewer = Saviour Balzan}}{{cite news | work = The Tablet | access-date = 15 October 2019 | date = 2 October 2019 | title = Maltese pastor chosen to head Francis' Synod of Bishops | url = https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/12095/maltese-pastor-chosen-to-head-francis-synod-of-bishops | first = Christopher | last = Lamb }}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Quote|If someone comes to me, asking me for help to discover Jesus Christ... he or she could be homosexual, and even in a homosexual relationship. It doesn't matter. I will not impede that person; on the contrary I would help. The last thing I would do is take up a position against that person.... Before, we would say: 'put your life in order first, and then we'll begin the journey towards God'. Today, on the other hand, we would say: 'Let us approach Jesus Christ... and Christ will help us put our lives in order.' ... 'Black' and 'white' still exist; but the grey area in-between has grown. It is in the grey areas that we must search. That's why I said that I am wary of those priests, or Christians, who feel they already know all the answers. No one can make that claim. We all have to continue searching.}}

On 2 October 2019, Pope Francis named him Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, in anticipation of succeeding Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri when he retired as secretary general.{{cite press release | access-date = 2 October 2019 | date = 2 October 2019 | language = it | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/10/02/0763/01564.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e nomine, 02.10.2019}} Grech worked alongside Baldisseri and participated as a member in the

Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region. Grech was also the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Gozo until 2020. He was one of five Synod officials who served ex officio on the fifteen-person commission that was responsible for drafting the final document of the Amazon Synod.{{cite news | date = 15 October 2019 | access-date = 15 October 2019 | language = es | work = Vida Nueva Digital | url = https://www.vidanuevadigital.com/2019/10/15/definida-la-comision-de-redaccion-del-sinodo-panamazonico/ | title = El Papa define la Comisión de Redacción del Sínodo Panamazónico con cuatro hombres de confianza | first = Óscar | last = Elizalde Prada}} In his first interview after his appointment he stated that "there is a movement toward which the Church can acquire a greater feminine face that would also reflect Mary's face".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-11/grech-synod-crossroads-church-amazon.html|title=Grech: A Synod is always a missionary crossroad for the Church - Vatican News|date=2 November 2019}} Grech succeeded Baldisseri on 15 September 2020.{{cite press release | access-date = 16 September 2020 | date= 16 September 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/09/16/200916b.html | title = Resignations and Appointments, 16.09.2020 }}

On 4 July 2020, Pope Francis named Grech a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity{{cite press release | language = it | access-date = 17 September 2020| url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/07/04/0372/00857.html | date= 4 July 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title= Rinunce e nomine, 04.07.2020 }} In October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grech said:{{cite interview | title = Bishop Mario Grech: An interview with the new secretary of the Synod of Bishops | url = https://www.laciviltacattolica.com/bishop-mario-grech-an-interview-with-the-new-secretary-of-the-synod-of-bishops/ | access-date = 22 October 2020 | date= 19 October 2020 | work = La Civiltà Cattolica | interviewer = Antonio Spadaro and Simone Sereni}}{{Quote|It is of concern that someone feels lost outside of the Eucharistic or worship context, for it shows an ignorance of other ways of engaging with the mystery. This not only indicates that there is a certain spiritual illiteracy, but is proof of the inadequacy of current pastoral practice. It is very likely that in the recent past our pastoral activity has sought to lead to the sacraments and not to lead – through the sacraments – to Christian life.}}

On 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced he would raise him to the rank of cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 November 2020.{{cite news| access-date=25 October 2020 | date= 25 October 2020 | url= https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/10/25/pope-francis-new-cardinals-wilton-gregory-washington | title= Pope Francis names 13 new cardinals, including Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington D.C. | first=Gerard | last= O'Connell | publisher =America }} At that consistory, Pope Francis made him Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano.{{cite web |title=Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli, 28.11.2020| language = it |date=28 November 2020 |website=Holy See Press Office|access-date=28 November 2020| url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/11/28/0618/01449.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128155120/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/11/28/0618/01449.html|archive-date= 28 November 2020 |url-status=live}} On 16 December, he was named a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.{{cite press release | access-date = 16 December 2020 | date= 16 December 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Resignations and Appointments, 16.12.2020 | url =https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/12/16/201216a.html}}

On 21 June 2021, Pope Francis named him a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.{{Cite web|last=CNA|title=Cardinal Tobin appointed member of Vatican's highest court|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248076/cardinal-tobin-appointed-member-of-vaticans-highest-court|access-date=2021-06-22|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en}} On 13 July 2022, Pope Francis named him a member of the Dicastery for Bishops.{{cite press release | access-date = 13 July 2022 | date = 13 July 2022 | language = it | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2022/07/13/0533/01074.html | title = Rinunce e nomine, 13.07.2022 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}} In a 2024 interview, Cardinal Grech stated his belief in how synodality can help the Church move from "uniformity of thought" to "unity in difference".{{cite web | url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/cardinal-grech-sets-out-vision-for | title=Cardinal Grech sets out vision for 'rainbow' synodal Church | date=25 March 2024 }}

Grech participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave.{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}} Prior to the conclave, he was widely considered to be papabile—a likely candidate for the papacy.{{Cite web |last=Borg |first=Neville |date=26 February 2025 |title=Mario Grech a 'top five' contender to be next pope, Vatican insiders say |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/mario-grech-top-five-contender-papacy-vacancy-vatican-insiders-say.1105717 |access-date=21 April 2025 |website=Times of Malta}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/is-the-next-pope-at-synod-2024|title=Is the Next Pope at the Synod?|date=October 4, 2024|website=NCR}} The conclave ultimately elected Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV.

• {{MLT}}: Companion of the National Order of Merit{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mario-grech-charmaine-gauci-among-republic-day-honours-recipients.838715|title=Mario Grech, Charmaine Gauci among Republic Day honours recipients|date=13 December 2020 }}
• Grand Cross Conventual Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

• Cardinals created by Pope Francis

{{Notelist}}

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;Additional sources

• {{cite news | url = https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/cardinal-mario-grech-central-figure-popes-plan-change-catholic-church | date= 25 September 2023 | work = National Catholic Reporter | title = Cardinal Mario Grech: Central figure in pope's plan to change Catholic Church | first = Christopher | last = White}}

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{{commonscat}}

• {{cite web|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_grech_m.html|title=Grech Card. Mario|website=Holy See Press Office| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129021840/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_grech_m.html|archive-date=29 November 2020|url-status=live}}
• [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgrechm.html Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop Mario Grech] Wikipedia:SPS

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{{s-rel|ca}}

{{s-bef|before=Nikol Joseph Cauchi}}

{{s-ttl|title=Bishop of Gozo|years=26 November 2005 – 2 October 2019}}

{{s-aft|after=Anthony Teuma}}

{{s-bef|before=Paul Cremona}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of the Maltese Episcopal Conference|years=September 2013 – 20 August 2016}}

{{s-aft|after=Charles Jude Scicluna}}

{{s-bef|before=Lorenzo Baldisseri}}

{{s-ttl|title=Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops|years=15 September 2020 –}}

{{s-inc|rows=2}}

{{s-bef|before=Beniamino Stella}}

{{s-ttl|title=Cardinal-Deacon of Cosma e Damiano|years=28 November 2020 –}}

{{s-end}}

{{Cardinals of the Catholic Church}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grech, Mario}}

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Qala, Malta

Category:Pontifical Lateran University alumni

Category:Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni

Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malta

Category:Officials of the Roman Curia

Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis

Category:Maltese cardinals

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Gozo