Recently it was reported in the local media that the Addolorata Cemetery chapel, which was run by the Franciscan Priests, has been closed.
May I kindly draw the attention of readers that the Addolorata Cemetery is government-owned land including its Gothic-style chapel within the cemetery’s grounds. It is known that this chapel is run by the Catholic Church. Public cemeteries fall within the portfolio of the Health Ministry that falls under Joseph Cassar.
Buried within this cemetery are Christians from all denominations (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox and so on to mention just a few). I was wondering whether in the light of the Vatican Council II and also within the Catholic Church’s spirit of Christian Ecumenism, if this chapel could be made available to denominations other than Roman Catholic? By all means, it can still be administered by a Catholic order but the holding of services would not solely and exclusively be just for deceased Catholics but open to other Christian denominations.
I am asking this question because a year or so ago, an ugly scene was witnessed at this chapel where an Evangelical burial service was being held for an infant and when a Capuchin friar who was in charge at the time learned of this, he barged into the chapel and snatched the microphone off the hand of the Evangelical pastor who was leading the service and started accusing the Evangelical and even Catholics present with all sort of tirades and in the process disrupting the whole service.
It was only through Christian long-suffering and fortitude that the family of the deceased child did not escalate the matter for this unbecoming and unchristian behaviour. Can’t we, at least during the difficult moments of losing someone dear to us, show some sense of Christian unity? After all we are all supposed to be one in the Spirit and in Christ and non-believers know we are Christians by the manifestation of our love towards our brothers and sisters in the Lord!
My heartfelt appeal goes to the civil and religious authorities to take into serious consideration the above plea when entrusting this chapel to a new administration for its upkeep and allow Christians of all denominations (Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Orthodox, Evangelist, Pentecostal and so on) to hold services in this chapel (presente cadavere, of course).