The Cauldron Father Charlie’s Living Legacy

In early November 2025, I received a VIP invitation. I have never been sent a VIP invitation in my life, nor have I ever paid to enter a VIP area for anything. When I saw what it was for, the Episcopal Ordination of Monsignor Charles Azzopardi, I was both flattered and excited. I am not a Catholic, nor do I believe in God or an afterlife, so I was intrigued as to why I appeared on the guest list. I assumed it related to my participation in the Synod of Synodality in 2022.

The Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar took part in the worldwide consultation process initiated by Pope Francis, who expressed concern that the Church may have become stale. The aim was to improve openness and collaboration and to create a roadmap for how the Church should move forward and change when necessary. Churches across the world gathered feedback from the laity, and I was invited to be part of the group in Gibraltar. We met several times, held robust discussions, and produced a detailed document that was sent to the Vatican. In October 2024, Pope Francis ratified and published the Synod’s Final Document, granting it magisterial authority and calling for its implementation across local churches. Whether this has happened locally remains unclear.

What struck me most during those discussions was the shared agreement on the role the Catholic Church should play in Gibraltar: a deeply religious place of worship that is also a welcoming haven, open to all. An institution that leads by example and actively does good work for its community. As an outsider, I can say that the Catholic Church has rarely come across as welcoming, open, loving, or forgiving. It was therefore refreshing to discover that many regular churchgoers in Gibraltar felt much the same. They want change. They want a more compassionate approach to funerals, greater openness, and more meaningful engagement with the wider community. Who could disagree with that?

I had heard about Father Charlie long before I met the man. Countless young people in crisis had turned to him; not only because he listened, but because he followed up with practical advice and action. The stories are endless. The doors of St Theresa’s are always open, and if you cannot find Father Charlie there, you simply go around the side and ring the bell at his front door. The work he has done in our community is unparalleled, and his soup kitchen has quite literally saved lives.

Yet Father Charlie was always something of a Cinderella figure; the one doing the hard graft, finding vans to deliver furniture, answering endless WhatsApp messages, stopping to talk, and radiating warmth. His was never the glamorous role (yes, the Catholic Church is surprisingly glamorous as religious institutions go). Charlie was the humble man in the background. Surely not bishop material? And yet, of course, he is precisely the right person to be Bishop of Gibraltar.

His reputation extends far beyond his role as Parish Priest of St Theresa’s. He is known and loved by non-Catholics, atheists, and those who mistrust organised religion altogether. His humanity and reach are remarkable. The question now is whether this “man of the people” can continue that work as a bishop. The answer is simple: we need more Father Charlies. His living legacy can, and must, filter down to Priests both young and old. Gibraltar does not need one soup kitchen; it needs several. The small plot beside St Theresa’s is overflowing with furniture, old cars and bicycles, and countless bags of donated goods. There is no shortage of work to be done for willing hands.

One of my main takeaways from serving on the Synod of Synodality committee was how disorganised the Church is locally, and how much property it owns. There is a large house behind the Cathedral lying empty and in need of repair, alongside Nazareth House, the Bishop’s residence, and numerous other buildings that could be put to sensible and compassionate use. Property is precious in Gibraltar, yet the Church, like many institutions, tends to hoard space and possessions rather than repurpose them for people in need.

Gibraltar is in desperate need of a halfway house for men. Just before the 2023 General Election, the government announced plans for St Christopher’s Lodge at Europa Point, but nothing materialised. A subsequent attempt to crowdfund a halfway house in a private building on Johnstone’s Passage also failed. Perhaps the Church could step in and offer one of its properties for this purpose? Many of these initiatives require administrative and project-management skills, skills that Priests and Bishops (understandably) do not often possess. There are, however, many people in the community, myself included, who would willingly take on such roles for the greater good of society.

Father Charlie has set out a blueprint for compassionate leadership. Now that he is Bishop, I suspect he will continue exactly as he always has, but he cannot do it alone. Church staff and volunteers are plentiful and ready. Let us clean up unused buildings and put them to work. Let us open more soup kitchens and 24-hour shelters. Let us create second-hand hubs where people can access furniture for free.

We have been gifted a good shepherd. Let us all follow.