Ariadne Massa
Detention 'failing the test of faith'
Family's dog was vindictively killed eight months ago
Gozo Bishop Mario Grech chose the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows to lash out at the government's policy to detain illegal immigrants whose only crime was escaping persecution in their country.
"The time has come to ask ourselves in all honesty: Is it possible that a civilised country such as ours, having the values we think we are defined by, sees nothing wrong in keeping locked in detention women and men who committed no crime and who are only here because they are seeking another country's protection?" Mgr Grech said.
In his homily to the congregation gathered in Victoria last night he asked: "What society are we building now and for future generations when, blinded by prejudice, we depict as enemies or threats to national security people who need protection?"
This is the first time that one of the Church's leaders has attacked the policy of detention, which is the one thing both political parties agree on but which has been questioned by local NGOs and international humanitarian and civil rights' organisations.
Illegal immigrants are detained on arrival for up to 18 months and Mgr Grech called for an "honest, sincere and level-headed assessment" of the current policy.
He said long-term detention as applied in Malta led asylum-seekers to mental breakdown and did not prepare them to look benevolently upon the society in which they were to live until the time came when they were able to return to their country or to move on.
Touched by the recent tragic death of more than 200 immigrants off the Libyan coast, Mgr Grech compared the valley of tears rolling down the cheeks of their loved ones to the tear-filled eyes of Our Lady when she saw her Son nailed to the cross.
"How many disrupted lives. How many hopes of freedom and new life foundered on the seabed... the Mother of all humanity weeps today as she beholds the human tragedy of those who are escaping persecution, war and unbearable poverty in their countries," he said.
"Irregular immigration and our response to it as a nation and as Christians has become the greatest test of our faith today.
"What convergence is there between what we profess to believe and our treatment of refugees and immigrants in our midst? If we must be honest, it would seem we are failing this test."
Immigration had led to strong sentiments against these people, he said, urging the congregation to look inwards and ask what they were doing in the light of all this trouble and sorrow.
"Are we turning the other way so as not to see? Are we opening our eyes and rolling up our sleeves to come to the aid of those who need help? Or are we mistreating those who have already suffered a lot in life?" Mgr Grech asked.
"Many who have already experienced much suffering - imprisonment, beatings, abuse, rape, war injuries, and threats - before reaching Malta, are today living in unacceptable conditions," he said.
Mgr Grech said the Church through the Emigrants' Commission and the Jesuits Refugees Centre had already made a very valid contribution in support of this cause. But it was never enough.
Christian communities, parishes and Church institutions should lead the way in treating refugees and immigrants with the respect every human person deserved.
While it was right for Malta to call on European countries to share the burden, he believed the island should be vocal in explaining to Europe that the solution did not lie in forcibly returning people who needed protection to the life-threatening situations they had escaped from. Nor did it lie in making asylum inaccessible to those who needed it.
He pointed out that there were people on the island whose asylum claim had been rejected but who could not return or be returned to their country of origin.
"Irregular immigration is a challenge for us and for the whole of Europe. We have a human obligation to be aware of the sufferings of others, and to alleviate it... For Christians, there are the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: 'This is my commandment, love one another as I love you'."
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S. Camilleri
Apr 5th 2009, 14:22
Don't know about this policy failing any test. However it is the only thing telling these people that if they arrive here illegally, they are not going to get a free lunch. I suggest that we actually film these centers and have them distributed over North Africa.
So we should not only keep this policy but reinforce it whilst making sure that those few that do deserve the protection they seek, are given it in a reasonable time span and are also given the necessary help to help themselves.
LGalea
Apr 5th 2009, 08:46
Robert Callus
Have you ever been to the Catholic Church in Tripoli?
I've been there and I was never threatened.
I've been to Tunisia and never felt threatened.
Do you expect me to believe those who destroy their papers?
Before they enter Libya and Tunisia they pass through other countries.
Why did they not stop in one of them?
Were they persecuted in all the countries they passed through and if so why?
And why are the same people kicked out of South Africa which is a BLACK African nation led by BLACK Africans?
If they are unwanted and unwelcome among their brethren, how do you expect that they will be welcomed and wanted here? Does that ring a bell somewhere?
No Robert. They must be expelled from Malta.
D. Bartolo
Apr 5th 2009, 07:42
I recall my years in the Uk and especially the first 2 .
I had bought a house and was financially independent, yet still with all work permit applications and the assistance of a lawyer I was still regarded as unwelcome visitor every time I travelled there. I was once held for 12 hrs for forgetting a note from the Home Office on a return trip to the Uk
Rightly so the Brits protected their borders as pronounced by law, yet today entering illegally into a country seems to be the order of the day.
A country must have a right to protect its borders from any sort of unfit visitor. Such illegal entries should thank their lucky stars they are kept in them.
Should maybe a bigger prison be built ?
LGalea
Apr 4th 2009, 21:00
Robert Callus
How many countries have they traveled through to come here? Is it possible that they were victimized and threatened in every country they passed through? And if so what was the reason? So do you expect that we should host all Africa if they come here claiming that they are threatened?
And why are other Africans also expelled from South Africa when they have a Black government? Why are they unwanted by their own kin, Robert? Think about it.
No Robert. They do not belong here. They belong either back in their own countries or in one of their ex-colonialists countries.
Robert Callus
Apr 4th 2009, 19:37
@LGalea
'They are not under threat in Libya and Tunisia'
Are you so sure? These countries never signed any treaty, never respected human rights. Remember Libya getting PAID to free completely innocent Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor? That's just the tip of the iceberg. The fact that Gaddafi is now friendly to the US changes nothing.
Apart from that, one can't ignore the fact that Arabs are extremely racist against black people. Even worse when they're Catholic
Michelle Dali
Apr 4th 2009, 18:40
'Family's dog was vindictively killed eight months ago'
...Ha?
D.Galea
Apr 4th 2009, 17:30
This is why I cannot have any hope for the future of my own country unless it becomes a secular state, if need to evolve both politically & as a society this is the only way to go as a first step. A ship cannot be steered by two captains.
Alex Spiteri
Apr 4th 2009, 15:56
Illegal immigration is a political issue and not a spiritual or religious thing.
Noel Enriquez
Apr 4th 2009, 15:22
Dear Mr. Briffa,
I cannot recall thousands of Maltese illegal immigrants streaming into the US and Australia. They did it legally. If these people cannot do it legally why do they enter our country illegally? They're not supposed to be here in the first place. There are no wars in North African countries, the Arabian peninsula or south africa, There isn't a war in each country in africa for all that matters, so why do they come here? Most, simply because they are economic migrants seeking to exploit our societies. If a war were raging in Malta I would go to the nearest spot of peaceful land, regardless, as long as I remain alive; not go to the bermudas and their pristine beaches.
LGalea
Apr 4th 2009, 15:16
Robert Callus
They are not under threat or persecution in Libya and Tunisia.
They have crossed many countries to come here.
Why should they continue to come to Malta when they have been through many countries.
Can anyone believe that they were persecuted in all the countries they have been through?
And if they were, WHY?
Charles Sammut, KZammit, Mark Anthony Sammut
You are perfectly correct. It's a pity that we have some among us that want to continue to bury their heads in the sand and do not see any threat to the Maltese nation and citizens from the mass invasion of a totally alien culture.
Louis Gialanze
Apr 4th 2009, 14:37
Please don't make me choose between my faith and my country.
Joe Fenech
Apr 4th 2009, 13:18
Joseph E Briffa:
How could you possibly compare Australia to Malta? The Australians only let people in when they needed them? It's not the case anymore!
Charles Sammut
Apr 4th 2009, 12:01
@ Joseph E Briffa
"They have a God-given right to try to improve the quality of their life "
This can apply to thieves, drug dealers, fraudsters and robbers. Everybody tries to improve his standard of living. But there are legal and illegal ways to do it.
I could probably earn more living off welfare in Germany or Sweden than I make here. But I don't do it.
Moreover this is a ticking social timebomb. Should we destroy our society just to help these people? This experiment has failed disamally everywhere, and the same will happen here. Of course you can choose to bury your head in the sand.
KZammit
Apr 4th 2009, 11:57
Immigrants = those who enter another country legally.
Irregular immigrants = those who enter another country legally but overstay their visa.
Illegal immigrants = those who enter another country illegally.
It is high time that journalists, contributors and the people who should know better make this distinction rather than making a hotch-potch out of the whole argument.
Mark Anthony Sammut
Apr 4th 2009, 11:08
Mr Callus, IRREGULAR means that it does not follow an expected pattern. I'd say that Illegal Immigration has now actually become very REGULAR. Whoever enters our border illegally is an ILLEGAL immigrant, fullstop.
Joseph E Briffa
Apr 4th 2009, 10:56
Who are we to say to define who is supposed to live where? These boat people are illegally entering Europe because they are not allowed to enter it legally. It would be cheaper and safer for them to buy an airline ticket and fly to Europe but this is not possible for them and they have to resort to every conceivable way; they are so desperate that they are prepared to risk their lives in an attempt to lead a better life. Remember the East Berliners trying to cross over to West Berlin and being shot in the process and left hanging to the barbed wire to bleed to death? We are lucky that we live in a place where life is comfortable and we don't have to go through such terrible things. So it's easy for us to preach and pontificate about the rights of these people. They have a God-given right to try to improve the quality of their life in the same way that thousands of Maltese used to emigrate to the US and Australia. Unfortunately nobody in Europe wants them because we are all selfish and don't care about others. I am alright Jack!
Robert Callus
Apr 4th 2009, 10:36
@LGalea
I'm not a fanatic of political correctness however since you seem to be obsessed with the word illegal, it is not the right term. Irregular is a substitute for illegal migrants AND asylum seekers.
A person can LEGALLY seek asylum if he is under threat, persecuted politically or living in serious danger (a war raging on, an area infested with landmines etc). We do have a lot of economic migrants true, but we definitely have a substantial number of genuine asylum seekers. For some there is just one alternative than fleeing their country - death (usually accompanied by torture)
Joanne Micallef
Apr 4th 2009, 10:25
Illegal immigrants break the law by entering into a country illegally, the vast majority are not escaping from any persecution, so I suggest for the bishop to get his facts right before pointing any fingers at our authorities.
LGalea
Apr 4th 2009, 09:22
First of all it is ILLEGAL immigration and not irregular.
ILLEGAL immigrants are here ILLEGALLY.
They have absolutely NO right to be here.
They are a TOTALLY ALIEN culture which practice in other countries shows that they do NOT integrate.
Moreover, we are the most densely populated country in Europe and nearly the most densely populated in the world.
We are also the smallest country in Europe and nearly the smallest country in the world.
We have absolutely NO obligation towards the ILLEGAL immigrants and the only obligation is of those countries who had and are still colonizing them.
Allowing them to remain here will mean the destruction of Maltese society.
Furthermore, they are simply ECONOMIC migrants and we do not even have work for ouir own citizens, let alone for them and other FOREIGNERS. They are ALL stealing the work from Maltese workers and the bread of their families.
Those who preach should put their sermons in practice and go to help the ILLEGAL immigrants in their own countries.