Photo rights: Archdiocese of Malta – Ian Noel Pace
APS Bank joins in the mourning for the departed Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona O.P. and pays tribute to a much-loved shepherd of his flock.
During his years as Archbishop of Malta (2006 – 2014), Mons Cremona was very close to the Bank in a transformative period as it became the leading voice promoting ethical banking and sustainable business. When inaugurating the new APS Bank head office In 2010, in the thick of a devastating financial crisis, Cremona had said that the Bank’s success was due to the fact that “it was not stagnant in the past but also not a slave to profit”, urging the Bank to continue making human and social reflections as it grew in a wider Maltese and European context.
Mons Cremona also used to support the Bank’s conferences on ethical and sustainable banking, and was a keen exponent of high standards in business long before the term ‘ESG’ was coined. On the occasion of the opening of the new Attard branch in 2014, he encouraged the management and staff to “serve customers faithfully since they were central to the Bank’s activities”. Mons Cremona continued to follow the Bank’s progress throughout his later years, always drawing attention to its important social role.
Today we remember him not only for his leadership but for his genuine warmth, humility and for instilling a values-based philosophy in the Bank which came from an unwavering commitment to his calling.
May his soul rest in the eternal peace of the Lord he so lovingly served.
