Monsignor wins libel case against Church newspaper

Anton Zammit

Oct 11th 2008, 19:42

It is disheartining to see such flagrant anti-clericalism displayed at every available opportunity, even when the case in point is not directly related to the Church. Without going into the merits of the case, should the whole Church be blamed for a slip-up by the editor of a church owned newspaper. The Church has as much right and duty as any of us to express her opinion and as such is totally justified in using any means it considers necessary to deliver her message. Whether this state of affairs hurts some individuals is not relevant as we are living in a democratic society, in which freedom of opinion is foremost.

anton j farrugia

Oct 11th 2008, 17:22

And where does his lordship Mgr Mario Grech stand in all this?? The newly launched 'Diocesan Mission' couldn't find a more opportune initial hit. Dear bishop sort our this mess

Charles Zammit

Oct 11th 2008, 13:30

The Maltese Church never supported the Maltese Labour movement worst still there where times when it actually organised a front agaist it. Though Mr Farrugia mentioned the seventies he did not go just one decade earlier in the infamous sixties where the church organised all political parties against the labour movement under the 'Umbrella'. The moral of the story......people living in glasshouses.............

GS Darmanin

Oct 10th 2008, 15:38

It appears that too many are church lovers:-)
Who is the church? Who forms the church?
Us, human beings, being it monsignors, bishops or lay people.
All of us called to be His children. All of us sinners whatever our title might be.
He came to save the sinners as the perfect need not be saved. Sinners are welcome at the church in search of conversion.
Those who are perfect need not go to church as perfect does not need to be converted huh?
Those who have no sins shall throw the first stone.

Manuel Mangani

Oct 10th 2008, 10:57

Mr. Farrugia: If I understood your comments correctly, you may be confusing Mgr G. Gauci with Mgr Anton Gauci, who regularly writes in the press about Church-related matters. However, even Mgr' Anton Gauci's writings are, as far as I can see, motivated by love for the Church and for the faith - as hee sees it.

Fr. E.Borg Bonello OSA

Oct 10th 2008, 06:54

An "E. Borg Bonello" wrote comments on this article. As I am also called (Fr) E(manuel) Borg Bonello and some persons asked me whether it was I who wrote, allow me to clarify that the writer is a different person.

Franco Farrugia

Oct 9th 2008, 20:43

@ Mr Mangani - While I agree with you on the first part - viz Il-Gens not being the actual Church in Malta - I completely disagree with you with regard to the rest. Reading people's writings opens one's eyes a lot.

Manuel Mangani

Oct 9th 2008, 20:00

At various correspondents: An anonymous comment in Il-Gens cannot not by any stretch of the imagination be taken to amount to an attack by the Church on the subject of the article.

Anthony Grech

Oct 9th 2008, 19:17

@ C.Camilleri. If the Church did not want her son Mgr Gauci, of whom She is the mother, be attacked by anti clericals she should not in the first place have let the matter go to the courts. Respect for her son Mgr Gauci should have led her to a more conciliatory course. If one really love his son she should not do anything to harm him however much one is hurt. It does not do any honour for anyone to be the cause of her son's grievance . And the Church should know that there are sharks who are ready to bounce on the church for any trivial slip.

Manuel Mangani

Oct 9th 2008, 19:06

Surely Messrs C. Camilleri., Franco Farrugia and others are mistaken in equating il-Gens with the Church. Instituting libel proceedings against a newspaper does not amount to attacking the institution which owns it. For all we know the hierarchy of the Church disagrees wholeheartedly with the contents of the article in question, even more so when the said article was deemed to have libelled ultimately "also the Bishop of Gozo as the highest authority of the diocese".

Whatever the merits of the case, Mgr Gauci cannot in fairness be considered to have attempted to harm the Church.

Charles Busuttil

Oct 9th 2008, 18:36

@ c. camilleri
You wrote, and I quote 'If one really love his mother he should not do anything to harm her however much one is hurt. It does not do any honour for anyone to be the cause of his mother's grievance'. I wholeheartedly agree with you. But. Shouldn't a mother, with her superior wisdom, take care not to hurt her child? It does not do any honour for any mother to be the cause of her child's grievance. It takes two to tango.

J.Tonna

Oct 9th 2008, 17:44

What we do not know, as yet, if Il-Gens intends to appeal from the sentence. It might turn everthing upside down. So we better wait and see.

c.camillieri

Oct 9th 2008, 17:29

@ Michael Sychell. If Mons Gauci did not want his mother church, of whom he is a member, be attacked by antic clericals he should not in the first place have let the matter go to the courts. Respect for his mother church should have led him to a more conciliatory course. If one really love his mother he should not do anything to harm her however much one is hurt. It does not do any honour for anyone to be the cause of his mother's grievance . And the Mons should know that there are sharks who are ready to bounce on the church for any trivial slip.

P.Scicluna

Oct 9th 2008, 17:09

The church newspaper was found guilty of throwing mud to a person who happened to be a church Monsignor. This mean that who ever is responsible lied to its readers and caused moral and may be fiscal damages to this Monsignor. I think it is appropriate for the Chairperson of the church media to issue an apology to the monsignor and to its readers. This is much different case from political ones. Please don't think that I am against the church but I hurt a lot when I hear this. I only want the best for the church.

Alfred Farrugia

Oct 9th 2008, 16:24

I assume that all the readers of this website who decided to post their comments here believe in the right of freedom of expression. It appears strange to me that some of those who believe in such a right, and presumably in plurality and democracy, find it upsetting that an institution as important as the Church has a similar right.

While I believe in the separation of church and state, I see no reason why the Church in Malta should not have the same right, particularly when no one is forced to purchase its publications.

As an individual I have the right to publish a monthly magazine, or whatever, if I decide to do so; obviously respecting the appropriate laws and regulations.

It is healthy for the Church to have its media centre, and provide us with the choice of its own publications, in addition to those issued by political parties, trade unions, institutions, and other public and private sector entities or individuals.

Incidentally, I had not read about this case before, so I am not certain whether the current publicity of this sentence is compensating or harming the persons concerned even more!

michael seychell

Oct 9th 2008, 16:23

It is very obvious that the anti clericalism we have been fed between the sixties and the eighties has found deep roots - no wonder that the number of church goers is decreasing year after year. In this case it is obvious that the newspaper in question has been wrong in publishing the article, and the courts quite rightly have imposed a very hefty fine against it. We should keep in mind that all humans are prone to make mistakes, and this applies also for the persons managing the church media. Those who have condemned the church are condemning also Mons. Gauci who is not only a member of the church, but also one of its elder monsignors, and for this reason I feel certain that he is not pleased with those attacking the church to defend him. Finally I am pleased for Mons Gauci who had succeeded to clear his name.

Michael Seychell

Charles Camilleri

Oct 9th 2008, 16:02

@ E.Borg Bonello. Are you referring to those well known political priests who are regular contributors to the labour leaning papers and who regularly appear on Super one ?

Emmanuel Cachia

Oct 9th 2008, 15:52

The church has the right and duty to speak. I am Catholic and I want to know the Church's position on various issues. I also listen to a few politcal programs on RTK. I must say that presenters are not really 'neutral'. The topics put forward or omitted for discussion show this in a very flagrant manner. And most of the time, they are pro-PN.

s.bugeja

Oct 9th 2008, 15:48

I don't really care about the church's role as long as this doesn't affect me. That is what the church is doing when it suggests to the government that a 'nominal' fee should be levied on medicines to cut down abuses. Whoever is abusing will stop collecting medicine and thus avoid the 'nominal' fee while those who like me never abuse and really need the medicine will have to continue paying this new tax. i the end only the honest patients will be left to pay. Thank you church.

Franco Farrugia

Oct 9th 2008, 15:44

@ Mr Borg Bonello - Excuse me, perhaps you can enlighten us as to when the Church should have supported a labour govt. Not during the 70s and 80s, surely!

J. Tonna

Oct 9th 2008, 15:15

First of all, I declare that I did not follow the case from the beginning, so I cannot comment about it.

However, Mr Simon Borg, and all other commentators for that matter, should NOT meddle in the Church’s needs and administration, as much as he says that it should not meddle in politics.

The Masses in Churches, are not mass meetings (political I mean) but liturgical celebrations where Christians meet to praise and thank God.

The Church which, in Malta alone, has the following of much more that any organisation or political party, and therefore it surely needs and has a right to have a newspaper. Why not?

Why should all those, who proudly say that they do not follow the Church’s teaching, meddle with whatever it does and take every opportunity to criticise it.

E.Borg Bonello

Oct 9th 2008, 14:49

When did the church ever support a labour govt publicly like they are doing now. to the Nats... forcina ohra ghall-gvern din .....that's why the church should never underestimate the "fidili" .....indulging in state affairs is politics all the way.....remember more than half don't support the govt.....

P.Scicluna

Oct 9th 2008, 14:24

The church should HONESTLY consider a reorganization in the news room of its media namely, news, paper scan, and its news papers. These tools were always politically used and biased. This section is to be under the direct responsibility of the station manager. This is an eye opener for the church were even its own people had their opinion manipulated. If the Church did not respect its MONSIGNOR how can it respect us.

V.Micallef

Oct 9th 2008, 13:29

People of good will must be overjoyed to learn that justice was served to Mgr Gauci. The good Monsignor has been persecuted for far too long for this sentence not to be received with satisfaction by law-abiding citizens. The person who started the latest attacks on him should seize this opportunity to try and behave more ethically in the future. I, for one, am sure the editor will be much more careful before publishing his missives. A good ending to a bad story.

anthony Baldacchino

Oct 9th 2008, 13:20

Owning a newspaper is not meddling with politics, suggesting to the government that the poor should pay for hospital fees and medicines to pay for teachers in church schools maybe is

l Galea

Oct 9th 2008, 13:18

"Of course the Church needs such a newspaper and has a right to own one - if for nothing else, to reach out to those faithful who for some reason or another do not go to Church....
Thirdly, by 'owning' a newspaper, the Church is not meddling with politics'."

What makes you think that those who do not go to Church where attendance is FREE are interested to BUY the Church newspaper?

Not meddling in politics? This must surely be the joke of the week at least.

David Stephen Ganado

Oct 9th 2008, 13:10

@ Franco Farrugia
Do you really believe that those who don't bother going to church are actually going to bother buying the church newspaper?
It would be interesting to know the circulation of this newspaper and compare it with other widely read newspapers in Malta.
As for church services being assimilated to Mass Meetings, here i have to agree with you. One goes to a Mass Meeting to hear the message and show support. One goes to Mass at church to hear the word of God and pray - the fact that the priest feels the need to give his opinion on any matter during the service, is irrelevant.

J Grima

Oct 9th 2008, 12:53

@ Mr.Farrugia

Wouldn't you call a gathering organised by an institution in which the speaker pushes political ideas, a mass meeting? Unfortunately some priests go further from the traditional moral speech.

Franco Farrugia

Oct 9th 2008, 12:36

@ Simon Borg - Here, I must disagree with you and I must tell you that in my opinion, you have no idea what you are commenting about.

Of course the Church needs such a newspaper and has a right to own one - if for nothing else, to reach out to those faithful who for some reason or another do not go to Church.

Secondly, I am sorry, but I find it really disgusting that you should call church functions 'mass meetings'. If at all, these are mass meetings of the spirit, not the kind of mass meetings that we are used to.

Thirdly, by 'owning' a newspaper, the Church is not meddling with politics'. The Church has an opinion to give, a policy to uphold and it uses the newspaper just for that. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has a right to make his/her opinion known - why not the Church?

In conclusion, with regard to this incident, those who have been following events within the Church in Gozo can come to their own conclusions.

Whatever problem I might have with my own mother, would I EVER take her to Court? Never!

Simon Borg

Oct 9th 2008, 12:24

Without going into the merits of this case, it is upsetting to me that the church should attempt to meddle with politics. Do they even need a newspaper? I'd have thought that their "mass meetings" were enough.