Joseph Mercieca

Joseph Mercieca (, 11 November 1928 – 21 March 2016) was a Maltese prelate who served as the second Archbishop of Malta from 1976 to 2006. He is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following the dispute between the Malta Labour Party and his predecessor Mikiel Gonzi, the then Archbishop of Malta.

Biography Archbishop Mercieca was born in Victoria on the island of Gozo in Malta. He was baptised on 14 November 1928 and received the other sacraments at the parish church of St George in Victoria. He entered the Gozo seminary to study for the priesthood but continued his studies in Rome at the Gregorian university and the Lateran university. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1952 by His Excellency Joseph Monsignor Pace, Bishop of Gozo, at St James's Church in Victoria, Gozo. In 1958, he was chosen to be the rector of the Gozo Major Seminary. In 1969, the then Father Mercieca was appointed, by Pope Paul VI, to judge the Roman Rota. He was consecrated bishop by His Excellency Sir Mikiel Monsignor Count Gonzi, Archbishop of Malta, on the feast of St Michael in St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. After Archbishop Gonzi retired in 1976, Bishop Mercieca succeeded him. He spent the next thirty years as the spiritual shepherd of the Archdiocese of Malta.

Archbishop Mecieca is credited with restoring stability in the Maltese church following Count Gonzi's dispute with the Malta Labour Party in the 1950s and 1960s. A new dispute between the church and the Labour government arose in the 1980s over church schools and property, but this was resolved without creating long-lasting divisions. Archbishop Charles Scicluna announced the death via Twitter. President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil also expressed their sadness on Twitter. Flags on government buildings were flown at half-mast for three days to mourn Mercieca.

Mercieca's funeral was held on 23 March at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, and he was buried at St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina. The funeral was attended by the highest authorities of Malta, including President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Evarist Bartolo on behalf of Prime Minister Muscat, and Simon Busuttil.