David, in Italy they had to legislate specifically to allow former presidents to use the ‘presidente emerito’ title and the practice exists only since 1998. In Malta we have no comparable laws and the title is, at best, unofficial.

David is wrong. First of all, in Italy there is a specific law by which former presidents are assigned the title of Emerito. The law regulates all the privileges given to former presidents bestowed with the title of Presidente Emerito (including, as an example, use of the Italian flag and other emblems).

I stand to be corrected here, but I actually do not think that all former presidents automatically become Presidente Emerito.

Bloody everything. I’m waging my own one-man battle against “Ing.” and “Perit”.

(Code of Canon Law)
Can. 402 §1. A bishop whose resignation from office has been accepted retains the title of emeritus of his diocese and can retain a place of residence in that diocese if he so desires, unless in certain cases the Apostolic See provides otherwise because of special circumstances.

In Italy former presidents are called Presidenti Emeriti. Besides in the US, Emeritus is also sometimes used for retired judges. Emeritus is not a title that is necessarily bestowed on someone, but it means that the person carries the title of office he formerly held. The latter is particulary true in the case of bishops. In plain terms, a bishop emeritus is just a retired bishop.

[Daphne – I’m afraid you’re wrong. But then we do live in Malta, where it is an ongoing struggle to remember that there is a right way and a wrong way and that English is not ours to reinvent or titles to invent. When you are speaking Italian and living in Italy, do and say what the Italians do. When you are speaking English and living in Malta, speak English and abide by Maltese usage. The title of president emeritus does not exist, either in the English language to describe former or retired heads of state, or in the Maltese Constitution. In Malta, a former president is a former president and not a president emeritus.]

Actually, the proper protocol is that you revert back to the highest non-unique (remember President is unique) title. So in the case of Bill Clinton, it would be Senator Bill Clinton, but I think he’s used to President.

[Daphne – It’s not about rights. It’s about correct usage of titles and proper understanding of their meaning. If the Vatican has decided to confer the title of Archbishop Emeritus on former archbishop Joseph Mercieca, then that is the proper way to refer to him. But if the Vatican did not, then it is not. At the risk of boring you with repetition, the words ’emeritus’ and ‘former’ are not interchangeable and one cannot confer a title on oneself or have it conferred on one by the media. Titles are given by the appropriate body: in the case of former presidents, that body is parliament, and in the case of former archbishops, it is the bosses in Rome. ]

Are they saying it would have been fine to shoot if there had been immigrants?

Disgraceful!