Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, has said he views the open letters on the Synodal Path as a “public denunciation” in an interview with Herder Thema. The Synodal Path has come in for considerable criticism, amid warnings from the Vatican and fears about a schism, but the prelate said open criticism “only further polarises”, without referring directly to the content of the letters from the Polish and Nordic Bishops’ Conferences. Grech said he continues to have confidence in the Synodal Path and trusts that the German bishops know what they are doing, although he admitted communication could have been better.

Grech also recently said feedback from the diocesan phase he is involved with will be evaluated by a larger group of experts than usual, with the cardinal bringing together a group of 24 to 30 who will create the first draft of the working document. “It will be a synodal and spiritual experience,” he added. Grech has previously said the global Synod is not about headlines and even extends beyond Catholics. In an interview with Vatican Radio, Grech said “I believe that a Synodal Church will give an answer, and will help us address conflicts and difficulties that the People of God and society are facing.”

Grech is certain that the summaries of the first phase which have been sent to Rome show the extent to which synodality is lived in the local congregations, stating: “From the results we will see how much more we can do to ensure that everyone takes on more responsibility and gets involved.” When asked about the Synodal Path and similar topics at the world Synod, Grech quoted from the Pope’s letter To the pilgrim people of God in Germany. He said these issues should not be ignored, but are always in the context of the Magisterium and the universal Church to see, and that applies to the world Synod and the Synodal Path, although both are completely different.

Despite being an ally of Francis’s – and a supporter of the Pope’s teaching on marriage and family, as expressed in Amoris Laetitia – Grech is very much seen as a compromise candidate. An Anglophone, the Maltese prelate is also relatively young at 65, the same age as Cardinal Tagle. Popular and known for his humility, Grech could appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, while his closeness to Francis will likely appeal to a College of Cardinals stacked with Francis appointees. That said, not only did Francis set the precedent for a non-European pontiff, but given the shifting demographics of the Church, a future pope from the Philippines may be seen as able to reach across the world better than somebody from Malta (that said, the other front-runners seem to be Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, and Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi).

Having had a leading role in a centrepiece of the Francis papacy and having struck a conciliatory tone with the Synodal Path, Grech may be offering an outline of what a Church under his leadership would look like, being outward-looking and missionary in its focus. Grech has also said people should not turn away those who fall short of the Church’s teaching but accompany them, something emphasised in Amoris Laetitia. Speaking on LGBT issues, Grech said: “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.”

How would Grech square his thinking with the New Right and Catholic “Trads”, especially in the US, or with the growing civilisation Catholicism of central and eastern Europe, with its integralist tendencies? If his recent statements are anything to go by, Grech as pope would aim to be a compromise and unifying figure, although largely a continuity candidate. He nevertheless faces strong competition, not least from the “Asian Francis” Tagle, or Erdő and Zuppi, with the outside chance of an African pontiff, as well as the growing possibility of an American pope, or even a British one. In his recent utterances, however, Vatican-watchers will see an outline of Grech’s vision and his papabile status further cemented.

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