Wednesday, 8th July 2009

Bishop on ethical, spiritual deficits

The same way the economic deficit had to be tackled sensibly, so too should mankind address its ethical and spiritual deficits, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech urged.

Certain worrying deficits were surfacing in Malta, such as particular lifestyles that stripped away a person's dignity and created a new form of poverty.

A fast-paced life was also robbing people of the chance to nurture relations with others, to their detriment and that of the family, he added.

Addressing a congregation gathered in Għarb on Sunday to mark the feast of Our Lady's visit to Elizabeth, Mgr Grech also spoke of an ethical deficit where people were shunning any criteria that enabled them to embrace the good in life and reject evil.

Lastly, there was a spiritual deficit where religion was reduced to "civic religion"; for many, Christianity was merely a moral code rather than an experience of God's mysteries.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, November 22, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Franco Farrugia (on 8/7/09)

The Bishop should explain what kind of 'particular lifestyles' he is referring to. I suppose he agrees with Benedict XVI in his harmful zeal at turning people against people and condemning minorities for living in a way that they feel that they should live without harming anyone under the sun.
I am sorry: these are not 100% words of wisdom - some of them are archaic.

Vincent Galea (on 8/7/09)

To achieve ethical and spiritual harmony one has to achieve perfection in his relationship with the Almighty, with society and with himself.

Joe Tabone-Adami (on 8/7/09)

Words of guidance - to think about and to act upon - as Mons Grech and other spiritual leaders know to how express. It is not bewildering that, even on this occasion, the question of the Nadur cemetery has been hurled as a 'shameful incident' for which to 'chide' the Gozo diocese.

Peter Green (on 8/7/09)

The Gozo bishop should look at the environmental deficit that his diocese is creating such as building a mega cemetry in Nadur in ODZ land destroying the livelihood of farmers in the area. What about the cancerous firework smoke from the Gozo festas? And the noise pollution the church creates? The Gozo church festas are all about gluttony to the max!

He needs to lead by example first!