Archbishop reports abbess over Mdina monastery, Vatican removes both from control

Archbishop Charles Scicluna has once again found himself at the centre of an internal Church controversy over valuable property, this time concerning a major monastery in Mdina, worth millions of euro if commercialised.

The issue centres on St Peter’s Monastery in Mdina, one of Malta’s oldest monastic buildings, owned by the Benedictine nuns. The large complex occupies prime real estate in the old capital and has significant commercial potential.

For years, Archbishop Scicluna and the monastery’s sole remaining resident nun, Mother Abbess Sr Maria Adeodata Dei Marchesi Testaferrata De Noto, 74, reportedly clashed over the future of the property.

Tensions escalated after the archbishop learned that, in November last year, the Abbess had signed a 50-year lease agreement with an electronics businessman for an annual rent of just €20,000, roughly equivalent to the rent for a modest apartment.

Sources told The Shift that the businessman intended to convert the monastery into a religious accommodation premises under an agreement drawn up by Rabat Notary Sam Abela. Church authorities have since deemed the agreement invalid.

Senior clerics said that while the archbishop was justified in intervening over the recent lease, questions were raised as to why he had not acted similarly several years earlier, when another section of the same monastery was leased under comparable, below-market terms to a property developer known to be close to him.

Following a report submitted by Archbishop Scicluna to the Holy See, the Vatican decided to remove both the Maltese Curia, which had administrative oversight, and the abbess from control of the monastery. Administration of the property has now been transferred directly to Rome.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Holy See announced that it had dissolved the Mdina monastery, accusing the abbess of having “unilaterally signed, without authorisation, two 50-year leases on the property to private individuals, each for less than €2,000 per month.”

According to the Vatican, “occupants were required to seek authorisation from the administrator before assigning any part of the monastery or any property associated with it.” It added that not only did the abbess fail to obtain approval, but she also withheld information about the contracts she had signed.

The Vatican ordered the abbess to leave the monastery and transferred all administrative matters from the Archdiocese of Malta to the Abbot Primate of the Order of Saint Benedict in Rome.

Sources said that although the most recent lease triggered the archbishop’s intervention, another contract had been in place for years without action being taken. This earlier agreement allegedly involved the opening of a museum within part of the monastery by a property developer and art collector who has previously conducted several property transactions with the Curia.

The Holy See’s statement did not specify that it was Archbishop Scicluna who formally reported the abbess to the Vatican.

Asked to explain why he had not acted sooner regarding the earlier lease, the archbishop said he was unable to intervene until he had obtained full documentation.

The Curia spokesman told The Shift that the resident nun had “failed to inform or seek approval from the legally appointed administrator, the Archdiocese of Malta, when she entered into lease agreements relating to the museum and other premises.”

It said repeated requests for copies of the agreements were ignored, leaving the archdiocese unaware of their contents. According to the archbishop, it was only in December 2025 that the Curia obtained copies of both contracts, after which it immediately informed the Holy See to safeguard the integrity of the monastery.

When asked to clarify his relationship with the property developer involved in the earlier lease, Archbishop Scicluna did not reply.

The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny over recent Church property agreements involving Archbishop Scicluna directly.

These include the lease of the Apap Institute in Santa Venera to a Saudi businessman for conversion into a health clinic, and the lease of Casa Leone to Corinthia for operation as a retirement home. None of these properties was issued through a public tender process, as is normally the case with Church property.