Gozo Bishop stresses love for truth
People did not think enough these days and when independent thought was abandoned they risked absorbing what others fed them, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech warned.
"Thought is true progress. Intelligent persons have the ability so that, together with others, they discover the truth," he said, speaking during the Christ the King festivities held in Victoria on Sunday.
Mgr Grech said it would be a "grave failure" by the Church if it did not play its part in a "humane, holistic development of society", calling to mind the many broken families that needed the community to "listen, accompany and propose solutions in the light of the truth".
Truth was under attack these days, and Mgr Grech, quoting Italian philosopher MEP Gianni Vattimo, described this era as characterised by "weak thought", where absolute truth made way for relativism and subjective truths, making dialogue increasingly difficult.
In this light, the Bishop said, the Church had what Pope Benedict called "an apostolate of intellectual caritas", a love for wisdom, which everyone, not just professionals, teachers or philosophers, had to embrace.
"Without a love for truth neither the Samaritan nor the social aspects of the Church's service can succeed," he said.
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Maria Vella
Nov 27th 2009, 08:27
The only truth for the Church is what it preaches. Anything else is rubbish or against our imposed creed. Dear Mgr. let everyone find his/her own ruth and be happy with it. Stop inhiibiting free thought as always this is almost 2010 people learned how to think.
Franco Farrugia
Nov 27th 2009, 06:10
@ Gerrie Cowie - Perhaps you can start thinking about truth by googling into the news coming from Ireland yesterday and today about the Church's past sins, perpetrated even by the Archbishops! Then, perhaps you can start preaching to us how to react to 'truth'!
Ruby Jenner
Nov 26th 2009, 22:14
Where was the truth when the Catholic Church in Ireland covered up the abuse of hundreds of vulnerable children?
Jesmond Micallef
Nov 26th 2009, 22:01
@R.Bartolo,
Indeed, I love science too. Occasionally I stare up to the skies and think WOW..., WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO.............?? mmmm.........So then I just start looking around me and see people in need, hungry children,diseases, injustice such as unfair trade, inequality around the same planet called Mother Earth.....................the TRUTH is all around us, R.Bartolo. Do not look anywhere else !!
Gerry Cowie
Nov 26th 2009, 20:26
No doubt Mgr Grech expects the usual mindless criticism that appears below.
Only a few words have been quoted from what he said.
He talks of truth.
What is everybody's problem with the truth?
Is it that they do not like to hear it?
Nobody is taking away anybody's right to think for themselves.
Science, of course, cannot explain what triggered "the big bang".
What was nothing like? Who can say?
adrian aquilina
Nov 26th 2009, 17:23
the church has always stopped any independant thought all through their history..people who think for themselves tend to not be religious...anything based on dogma has no independant thought but a rigid set of rules...
renald williams
Nov 26th 2009, 16:23
Jesus in His New Testament, said that He is the Truth, John 14:6. Any Christian can get more of His enlightenment by reading His wishes. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9 www.tecmalta.org
Charles Sammut
Nov 26th 2009, 14:50
What an insult to people's intelligence! Just as well more and more people are thinking with their brain now instead of being force fed by the likes of His Grace.
R. Bartolo
Nov 26th 2009, 12:07
I love truth.
That is why I love science.
TBriffa
Nov 26th 2009, 10:39
Some surprisingly intelligent statements have been made during the Christ The King celebrations this year. Is the Church in Malta going to start advocating practical philosophy instead of its sets of rules and regulations designed for the herd? Is it actually encouraging the flock to think? What next? How about church services that don't send us to sleep to start with?
Andy Towler
Nov 26th 2009, 10:16
"when people don't have independent thought they risk absorbing what others feed them"
"Others" meaning the church! Open mouth, insert foot...
Dr. David Pollina
Nov 26th 2009, 09:30
"when people don't have independent thought they risk absorbing what others feed them"
Now that has to be the pinacle of obfuscation coming from the single greatest institution for the supression of independent thought and spoon-feeding of it's own ideology.
Absolutely hillarious!!
Tim Ripard
Nov 26th 2009, 09:17
This is rich coming from an organisation that believes it is the sole adjudicator of what is truth and what is not.
No one at all understands God - that is the truth.