Christianity and the euro

I understand that the committee entrusted to choose the face of the euro coin for Malta once the country converts its currency to the euro has decided to adopt the replica of the Baptism of Christ at St John's Co-Cathedral. This decision seems to have been made in light of the outcome of what has been referred to as a "popular vote" of the Maltese people. Well, about 3,000 SMS messages or e-mails received out of the entire Maltese population should not constitute a "popular vote" in my opinion but this is not what I wish to write about.

Unfortunately, these 3,000 or so voters seem to have been highly influenced by the e-mail campaign that went around asking people to vote for the Baptism of Christ as a message to put Christianity back into Europe. I am indeed saddened by the fact that we really believe that by having the image of Christ on a coin is really going to put Christianity into Europe. In my opinion, what we have really done by this decision is to allow our emotion to have "paganised" and thus demean the image of Christ to a monetary value.

The Baptism of Christ symbolises the initiation of Christ to his public life and mission. Furthermore, even in Christ's own time, He referred to the coin as a symbol of monetary value in the payment of taxes when the Lord said, upon looking at a coin with the image of Caesar, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and unto to God what belongs to God". The values of Christianity do not belong on a coin, but are inside us.

I am sure we are aware that these coins will one day be used in all of Europe to purchase anything material, both licit and, unfortunately, also illicit (from sweets to drugs to even pornographic material and the like). Is this how we think we will put back Christianity into Europe?

If we really wanted to influence the Malta government to put back Christianity into the European Constitution, we should have sent an SMS to the Government of Malta at the time of the voting of the ratification of this Constitution in the Malta Parliament in order to reject it unless there was the clause about Christianity in place. We did not do this, because at that time there was no e-mail going around urging us to do so. The right time to send such an e-mail to encourage people to put Christianity was then not now. Even so, I am also convinced that the 3,000 voters would definitely not have influenced the government to change its mind on its vote then. However, in order to demean the image of Christ on a coin, then their vote seems to have counted! "Religious fanaticism", as we are unfortunately seeing today, leads to serious consequences.

As a former governor, I chaired various committees which decided on the themes of various commemorative coins after the Coin Advisory Committee made its recommendations to the board of the Central Bank. We were all extremely careful and conscious of what the theme of the coin was to be and thus chose very carefully with one idea in mind, namely to depict and respect the image of what we were representing on the coin. These were not coins to be put into circulation, as the euros will be, and although having a monetary value, they were purely commemorative coins and collectors' items. I am thus surprised that the Baptism of Christ was even short-listed.

As a Catholic and a Maltese I am upset that we have monetised Christ. May I ask why and how does this "Baptism" symbolise Malta. To most Europeans who have not visited Malta, and do not know where this statue is, it would be totally meaningless to them. To most tourists who have visited Malta, I am equally sure it would also be meaningless to them as all they probably would remember of the Co-Cathedral of St John would be the Caravaggio and not the Baptism of Christ.

I also understand that the decision on the choice "has been made and cannot be reversed as it is too late". I believe nothing is too late as, while the decision has indeed been made, I am sure it can be reversed if people realise the consequence of this decision. Furthermore, if enough people, hopefully more than the 3,000 who voted for this, can show that this is indeed a wrong decision which will and could have serious consequences, I am sure the decision could be reversed.

We should not only look at this decision from a Maltese perspective but as a member of the European Union we also have the responsibility towards Catholic feelings and sentiments throughout Europe. I know for a fact that many in Malta do think like I do and are upset about the demeaning of Christ's image and reducing it to a monetary value. How many others in all of Europe could think the same way as I do and feel offended by this decision? Malta is known to many as supposedly being a bastion of Christianity and of Christian values and I do not suppose this is the example we should be giving by demeaning Christ's image.

I also understand that the next most "popular" vote was for the Maltese Cross. Now that is really Maltese and represents Malta, and what was wrong with that? May I point out to many who might not realise that the Maltese eight-pointed cross is in itself the utmost symbol of Christianity! The eight points on the cross depict and represent the eight Beatitudes, one of the most powerful sermons of Christ, the Sermon on the Mount, which is why the Knights created this cross. It should also symbolise the European values of helping one another! Therefore if there were anything that should symbolise Malta and its Christian values, the eight-pointed Malta Cross should be seriously considered by the government as a good alternative.

I thus strongly appeal to the powers that be to reverse this decision. I too believe we should put Christianity into Europe but I believe this should be done in the right way and not for the wrong reason... through our values and not on a coin!