Editorial
The Maltese Church in the footsteps of St Paul
This year's celebration of the feast of saints Peter and Paul, popularly known as Mnarja, brought with it the inauguration of the Pauline Year, marking the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St Paul, an initiative of Pope Benedict being celebrated throughout the universal Catholic Church. To launch this initiative in Malta, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Bishop Mario Grech released a pastoral letter, declaring that the Church should return to its roots. This is of importance to the Christian community in Malta. It also has significance for the rest of society as the Bishops are stating clearly that the Church, like St Paul, should "not refrain from proposing and building a new order in the public life of our country".
It is a pity that the Bishops gave no blueprint of this "new order in public life of our country". Nor did the Bishops say, on this occasion, what will the Church be doing to achieve this. Therefore, one hopes that this will be done in the near future. There are though, a number of clues.
The Bishops will be taking their cue - with regard to content and method - from St Paul who, they say, "made proposals according to the Gospel regarding the family, equality, slaves, sexuality, women, and so many other things". This long list of areas of involvement means that, like St Paul, the Bishops will continue to speak on all issues of interest to society and its members. Besides, a look at the topics the Bishops spoke about throughout the years shows that this aim is, by and large, being fulfilled.
The method used by St Paul - once more drawn from the pastoral letter - has these characteristics: radical, controversial, not afraid to be isolated and absolutely clear on issues. When one looks at the methods used by the Church in Malta, can one conclude that its methodology is characterised by the same elements that underscored St Paul's method? Can the Maltese Church be described as controversial or as one that speaks in absolutely clear terms? Past events hardly point in this direction. It is a good sign that the "new" Bishops will now be adopting such a method.
The chances are that most Maltese will welcome a Church whose presence in society is radical, controversial and outspoken. Most will welcome the Bishops' commitment for "true and authentic witness" by the Christian community. The building of a "new order in public life" asks for nothing less.
The Bishops also made clear commitments vis-à-vis the Church. Once more they committed themselves "to work seriously towards a sound catechesis at every level". They also want to work towards this aim with urgency. Lack of sound catechesis is, and has been for long, the Achilles heel of Maltese Catholics. Many have been cultural Catholics more than evangelised ones. They were born and bred as Catholics but hardly know what being Catholic really means. The Church cannot really be freed of responsibility with regard to this situation. Instead of the wholesome meat of the Gospels, many continued to be fed the tripe of festas, pique and traditions throughout their life.
The Bishops want to change all this. If, as indicated, they follow in the footsteps of St Paul, they will, of course, be on the right track.
4 Comments
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Joseph Vella
Jul 11th 2008, 16:27
In an era where parishioners are equal to or far more advanced than their pastoral leaders, the flock is in no need to be handed down blueprints from their bishops, for the restructuring of Maltese society.
The church has yet to learn that it no longer has a pivotal place in dictating human conduct and behavioral patterns, when its own rank and file need be purified of gross misdeeds, committed against the most innocent of victims. Accountability works both ways. Given its most unfortunate record, how can the church dare claim that it speaks in absolute clear terms. St. Paul is turning in his grave wishing that some other saint be given credit for the restructuring of Malta’s wayward society.
To follow in the footsteps of St Paul is not to everyone’s preference. For the church to assume a position of de facto moral leadership in Malta, is to ignore a growing progressive secular movement in a rapidly changing world, that prefers to speak for itself on issues of morality. The mix of culture and evangelism is important for some but not for others,
preoccupied with today’s hectic, competitive environment.
It behooves the TOM to maintain an editorial balance .
Franco Farrugia
Jul 10th 2008, 17:37
Is this newspaper a lay publication or some kind of PASTOR or TABLET? You make people laugh at such editorials, forgive my saying so.
B Agius
Jul 10th 2008, 13:11
What's good about being controversial? Do you mean the Bishops should push for more Catholic fundamentalism taking us back centuries in interpreting values in the vein of what was appropriate for Paul to preach 2000 years ago? The Catholic Church is universal. Maltese are mixing with outsiders more than they've ever done. Interpreting what it means to be Catholic can't be different in different countries. Should the Bishops preach more what we believed being a good Christian was a hundred years ago? This misses the point. It was part of the reason some Church teaching or local interpretations has kept the population in ignorance. The Church still encourages festas even though it says they should be more religious. The Church should forget about festas and such things and concentrate more on what makes a modern Christian relate to Christ in this day and age. Apart from family, sexuality and all the stuff we know Paul thought, today's Church must concern itself also with its own relevance, its own example through its priests and nuns. AND openness and accountability of its own actions to all of the people. The Maltese Bishops have a lot of work to do in this area.
William P Flynn
Jul 10th 2008, 10:33
When will the clergy and this publication understand that the Catholic church and its beliefs have no part in the social and secular life of Europe and, at least technically, of Malta in particular? Why is this paper used as a pulpit by some Fr this or Mgr that at least once a week - twice on Sunday?
There are at least three references to religion, a bishop and a saint today - including this editorial about future church strategies.
These are issues for the private lives/worship of Catholics and more appropriately served by a Catholic publication. Is this a religious newspaper?
Reporting religious, dogmatic utterances by clergy under the unacceptable guise of democratic social comment in a secular society will only add harm to the church. Readers who are fervent Catholics should need no convincing, and the rest will only react negatively - consequently doing the church and the Times no favours.
However thanks for my word for today - catechesis. I don't know how I managed without it .