Responsible for one of Pope Francis of 68-year-old Cardinal Mario Grech is another candidate to replace the Argentine in charge of the Catholic Church in the conclave that begins on Wednesday, 7.
Born on February 20, 1957 in Gozo, one of the islands of the Malta archipelago, Grech is secretary general of the Synod of Bishops since 2020.
He heads the organ that brings together positions from the dioceses around the world on fundamental issues, such as the place of women in the church and the marriage of divorced people, and passes this information to the Pope. Grech is also responsible for organizing the sinodal meetings that take place in Rome every two years, addressing a specific theme.
The 2021-24 Synod on Synodality invited all Catholics in the world to expose their hopes, fears, and anxieties about the church in the modern era and asking what should change. In 2023, the Church allowed lay people and women to vote at the sinodal assemblies, alongside the bishops.
Millions of faithful responded and the Vatican allowed free discussions about topics previously considered taboos in the church, such as women’s ministry, gay Catholics and sexual abuse committed by the clergy.
The final document of the Synod, presented in October 2024, did not propose drastic changes, such as the permission of female diaconate or the reception of gay Catholics, but did not end the debate on these issues.
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In March, hospitalized to treat pneumonia, Francis approved plans to extend the synod and its implementation by 2028. Although officially practiced by the Pope, the approval of the plan was proposed by Grech and was interpreted as Francis’ desire to ensure that the process and its reforms would survive.
During much of his religious career, Grech defended conservative positions. It was like this in 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI defended heterosexuality and his words were echoed by Grech in Malta, and in 2011, when the country debated the legalization of divorce and the religious criticized the initiative. But from 2013, when the command of the Catholic Church passed to Pope Francis, Grech became more progressive.
“I must confess that I come across the urgency of this need by hearing families of homosexuals, as well as the same people who have this guidance and who feel injured by language directed at certain texts, for example, in the catechism,” said the religious in 2014 during a Vatican event.
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In 2017, he argued that the church accepts to marry divorced people again. In line with Francisco’s appeal for more flexibility and compassion, this was applauded by the church liberal wing, but annoyed the conservatives.
After being named Cardinal in 2020, when he was still a bishop of cum, Grech told the Vatican Journal: “I come from a very small parish, a diocese that is equally small, then, in a way, I do not understand why, from the periphery of the church, the Pope called me. But, on the other hand, I can see the little things that tell in the eyes of God, in the eyes of the Holy Father.”
