Halloween exposes people to ‘sadism, sexual violence, torture’

Mr Kevin Cassar

Oct 31st 2011, 19:04

Halloween exposes people to ‘sadism, sexual violence, torture’....... though it does not stand a chance against the catholic church on any of them. Compared to the history of the Roman Catholic Church (up to the present day) it's child's play!

Alison Bezzina

Oct 30th 2011, 13:51

Oh for pumpkin's sake..... http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111030/blogs/heavy-metal.391453

Karl Consiglio

Oct 29th 2011, 00:05

Trust me the Old Testament offers a hell of a lot more sadism, sexual violence and torture than a night of trick or treating.

Francis Saliba M.D.

Oct 28th 2011, 13:10

@Arthur Soler.(27 Oct 2011 at 18:49)

I would say that most responsible people, religious or not, would consider the vandalism and the gruesome scary, provocative aspects of current Halloween celebrations to be not only retrograde but also antisocial. They are a deliberate and provocative disturbance of the peace and public order by violating the law, by pestering peaceful citizens in the privacy of their own home and by vandalizing private property.

Halloween is much more than a harmless “secular event” – “uninhibited offensive paganism” would be a more fitting description. Its defenders draw crude and insulting parallels between the crucifix, an entrenched Christian symbol of sacrificial love, and the deliberately gruesome masks of Halloween revelers intended to scare, especially "small kids" for “sheer fun and enjoyment”.

They are deliberately offensive to the Catholic sentiments of those who adhere to the official religion of the Republic of Malta.

Richard Galea

Oct 28th 2011, 08:30

I never lost my faith in Christianty,as I never had it......But seeing this unfair attack on the church is disgusting.

There is in each of us a sence of spitituality that is useually manifested in some kind of a religion which try to create a sense goodness and well being.......Holloween festivities undermine such efforts,....especially on children of puberty age......

Like the fairy tale of Cindirella although it does not exists, it still influence the minds of the youngsters in a positive way.......But the practice Holloween can inseminate evil to fertile minds.

Trying to abandon the concept of God is foolish indeed.

Mrs Elizabeth Sammut

Oct 28th 2011, 02:43

This is from a Catholic Website and relates to this subject
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=608567
I think sometimes in Malta some people are beginning to sound like radical Islamists.

Claire Busuttil

Oct 27th 2011, 23:40

OMG!!

Natasha Zammit

Oct 27th 2011, 23:28

After reading the note and the above article, I can only end up in say one thing...if the church keeps on like this it will be left with very few followers...as a pagan myself i found this very offensive but after reading the below comments i concluded that people didn't take this seriously and neither should i....As some people below said we see more torture, blood and violence in the good friday then in halloween for sure. I have been a pagan for a long time and i have a very normal life with family and work...i love all animals and hate to hear anything about them being hurt...i love all that lives and respect all that has left this world...as far as i know not being christian doesn't make you a satanic person..

Just for some info on this day we remember our dear once that are no longer with us and thank them for all they gave us and thought us...we also remember that after death there is rebirth as this is the circle of life...

Please dear church let everyone follow his own path in life...im sure that this way you will have more true followers...

Francis Saliba M.D.

Oct 27th 2011, 20:27

@ angelo cilia. (27 Oct 2011 at 17:21)

This “supposed educated person” does not need your advice about the historical background to ancient symbols and customs and what significance to attach to them because they have been transported to the neighbourhood of the Vatican and its museums.

Having to choose between Christ’s promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church, and your prediction that the demise of Christianity is imminent, I choose to believe Christ. Will you permit me?

Arthur Soler

Oct 27th 2011, 18:49

@Francis Saliba

"Today's Halloween celebrations ARE a retrograde step to pagan customs that had been discontinued."

Says who? Most logical people would see Halloween as a secular event that is celebrated for sheer fun and enjoyment by millions of people, and especially small kids, all around the world. it is no different from Carnival in Malta and elsewhere.

Chris Grillo

Oct 27th 2011, 18:31

Well, the book with most sadism , violence , torture and death, has to be the Bible!

And has anyone had a look at the book of Revelations? Man... what were they smoking?

And they thought that Iron Maiden were evil? Their number of the beast is a quote from the above 'good book'....

Trick or Treat?

Long Live Rock n Roll!

Karl Consiglio

Oct 27th 2011, 15:32

How exciting!!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Mr F J Brincat

Oct 27th 2011, 13:43

"It''s just stating facts" ...is it? Or is it just a bunch "half truths" ?

Rob Huber

Oct 27th 2011, 13:42

The church HAS to warn catholic families about the roots from which the celebration of halloween stemmed from. The problem with today's culture is that it is a culture of indifference with no real values to fight for. Don't you think that feeling angry towards the church for issuing such a notice, is uncalled for? Why so angry?
There is the need for inner healing in all of the angry people. Or where you organising a party and so this notice has somehow pinched you? And please reply sincerely, who organises wild parties with the intention of passing on the money to the church? Fundraising money for charities is a different matter although it would have a common goal with that of the church.
I will pray for all of the angry people for I am absolutely no one to judge but here is my point: Being indifferent doesn't make you caring. Being indifferent is just a lack of solid values. Nothing to fight for because everything will do.

Marcas O'Faodhagain

Oct 27th 2011, 13:38

In another hundred years Catholicism will be dead, you should see the little attendance there is in a once completely brainwashed Ireland.

Christina Pace

Oct 27th 2011, 13:26

You know, I have been thinking of this article ever since I read it and I keep coming back to it to see the comments. I was thinking maybe someone would say somehting that would indicate to me why I get so aggrevated at happenings.

I have reached the conclusion that, besides the contents of this paper being distributed is utter nonsense and another huge lie the chirch tries to force down people's throats, this is yet another invation of our privacy and personal choice. I was approached by two Jehova preachers yesterday and I respectfully refused to listen. Later I went to my mother's house and I saw that old sticker on the door saying "Jehova Witnesses Not Welcome". Then it came to me, just like we are irritated by someone knocking at the door to tell us what to believe, so was I I when I heard that the church was sending mail to do the same. If I wanna know what the church thinks, I will look it up, I will go to church and find out, but do me the great favor and keep your propaganda away from my letterbox and front door. Thank you.

B galea

Oct 27th 2011, 12:19

The church say no to pill and contraceptives cos you would be killing a child in a way, where in some places where there are nuns in places like africa etc are given the pill!!! what about that? its it ok? let us say some1 wants to organise a party with hallowen theme and offer all profit to shelters which are taken care by priests or nuns that will not be allowed to!! but in the end they will still take the money even if people will have sex, become nasty and what not at the party!!!

Mr Philip Micallef

Oct 27th 2011, 10:11

How rediculeous. Hope Society would be able to forgive them, for they knoweth not what they are doing and saying. They are surely caught in a Time Warp. It surely takes one to know one. Lis-spizjar milli jkollu jaghtik.

David Caruana

Oct 27th 2011, 08:18

Qabel ma bellawlna l-Kattolicezmu bil-ponta tax-xabla, ahna l-Maltin konna Pagani - naduraw lil Alla Omm.

Jekk minghalikom li gie xi San Pawl u kkonverta gzira shiha, minghalikom hazin. Il-verita' hi li San Pawl AQQAS BISS gie Malta u l-aghar bicca ta' din il-verita' hi li l-fidi kattolika giet imposta fuqna mil-mexxejja Rumani u min ma kkonvertiex, qalaha sew, probabbli anke ghal mewt.

James Camilleri

Oct 27th 2011, 00:03

Dark Ages mentality spilling over into the witch hunting/burning times of the Inquistion. If Halloween is a pagan feast we meet as well abolish most feasts beginning with Christmas. For the Romans, 25th December was the feast of their son god. So by celebrating Christmas are we paying homage to a pagan god?

Mr Albert Gauci Cunningham

Oct 26th 2011, 23:19

What a loser!!!

s Fulton

Oct 26th 2011, 22:22

you people give it large about the church and how good it is but look at how many people were killed in the name of god and the catholic church ... i hate how these self rightious people force there crap down our throats but if we want to follow another religion or belife we are tarred and feathered . ni think the church should shut its mouth about everything and let people get on with their own lives .

Julian Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 22:13

ha nikkummenta bil-Malti, ghal raguni wahda - forsi Fr. Kalcidon Vassallo jifhem x'ha nikteb...
ha nibda billi nikkwota bicca mill-artiklu t'hawn fuq:
"It concludes with a motley list of “other things which draw children towards the occult”. The list includes heavy metal music"
ghandu idea Fr Kalcidon fuq xiex qed jitkellem? Heavy Metal?? nahseb ahjar jeduka ruhu billi jghamel naqra ricerka, forsi ma tafx kif jirrealizza li qed jiggeneralizza bl-ikrah hawn!!!
ghandu idea, perezempju, illi l-knisja stess (mhux gewwa Malta, pero l-istess knisja tibqa sa fejn naf jien) torganizza u tippromwovi festivals tal-Heavy Metal??
u ghandu idea li dan jissejjah Chrstian Metal??
Alla hares nghamlu bhalu!! Alla hares niggeneralizzaw bhalu, u nitfaw lil qassisin f'keffa wahda...
nghalaq billi nsemmi website tal Christian Metal, www.angelicwarlord.com

Jason Mallia

Oct 26th 2011, 22:01

31st October I'm going to a Halloween party.
The day after 1st November first thing in the morning I will start shaving my face and with the blade I will start to make small cuts on my face for some pleasure!!!! that's will be Sadomasochism.
Later after a shower I will start punching my GF because she want to go for work and I want to make sex!! Sexual Violence!!!
Because of what I seen the night before ( somebody with a face mask ) the first person I will see in the street, will tie him and start beat him and if he will try to ask me why I will cut his ears out. So as Fr Vassallo this is torture and mutilation!!!!
After a very busy morning I think I will go to relax and listen to some good heavy metal sounds.
Later I will go to the black mass to perform some Satanic Rites and Exercises.
During the Satanic performance a fly will come on my hands and for sure I will kill it!!!!

So here you can see how a person can turn violent with just some brainwashing from the church....mmmmm sorry brain washing from what he had seen during a Halloween Party.

Come on Church get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

angelo cilia

Oct 26th 2011, 21:58

Occult practices should only be the domain of the roman catholic church.
That is the way it wants it.
The roman church cannot stand any competition.
And besides, Halloween is a handy cover to hide the fact that October 31st is really Reformation Day.

Mr l Azzopardi

Oct 26th 2011, 21:48

"terror, fear and death".......I think the Church has all and every right to complain !!

... it's about copyright protection after all!

Roger Tirazona

Oct 26th 2011, 21:32

Another instance of the Church shooting itself in the foot. Members of the church have defamed and tarnished the reputation of something "unchristian" to advertise Jesus. It's like Pepsi trying deciding to advertise its product by saying Coca Cola makes people impotent. Only in such a defamation there would be strong legal consequences and case of libel, but the Church enjoys great privileges. Does Fr. Vassallo know that he has indirectly accused every halloween activity organiser (including many innocent school teachers and Catholics) of being the devil's accomplices and that they are responsible for children losing their souls?

c p agius

Oct 26th 2011, 20:51

i suggest we should ban the Nadur Carnival too..........NOT

Mr Marco Debattista

Oct 26th 2011, 20:47

When has his country declared it's unquestioned devotion to the fundamentalist sect of Roman-catholicism?

Yes, Halloween is a pagan tradition that precludes Christianity presence in Europe, the country of origin being Ireland. This tradition is was the true origin from which the Christian tradition to devote the month of November to the deceased was started! Which is precisely what Halloween is about, celebrating the departure of the deceased in ways that these self-infatuated theologians deem as obscene.

Having said that, it must be pointed out that there are many Halloween-like variations across the world which pretty much share the same theme of celebrating the honour of departed souls but in different ways and none of which have any connection with Satanism or any other practice of occult.

Speaking of terror, fear and death, which religion has an obsession with, who came up with the concept of limbo as a means to make parents "aware" (emotional blackmail) of what would happen to their new-born children if they didn't sign them up for "the club" aka the church?

Since some clergymen in this country always claim to be experts in everything from legal theory, social norms and in this case traditions. Might i ask them to respond with a detailed and accurate explanation of how and where does dressing up in costumes of ghosts, skeletons and demons lead to "dabbling" with the occult?

Mr leo attard

Oct 26th 2011, 20:08

i guiess then it's Halloween everyday because this stuff goes on everyday and in some countries it's anational holiday on a daily basis!!! didnt we have satanic organizations in malta before we had even heard the word 'Halloween'. I personally think Carnival time is worse! In the united States Halloween was originally a pre-christmas time for children to trick-or-treat to get that little extra money and candy..... It has changed into a more Mardi Gras like occasion, but it's basically harmless, a time for donning scary costumes!

Robert Cassar

Oct 26th 2011, 19:41

U le, ara vera hawn min m ghandux x jaghmel!!!. Sakemm it tfal iggibu rwiehhom sew meta jmorru jaghmlu trick or treat ma fiha xejn hazin. Tghid it tfal mhux ha joqghodu jifilosifizzaw fuq dawn l affarijiet. Halluna!!!

Gerry Cowie

Oct 26th 2011, 19:18

I am not even going to bother to name the people who are just so anti-Church that they cannot see the point!

References to the past and the inquisition etc etc etc are meaninless attempts to pour scorn on the guidance offered by the Church to the faithful.

The Church has simply declared the facts about this time of year and wishes people who claim to be Catholic realise what is actually behind it. All they need to do is bear it in mind.

Elaine Sultana

Oct 26th 2011, 19:04

If you cynics and Halloween fans were really sure of your ground, then you shouldn't have found it so necessary to justify yourselves. Halloween celebrates everything that is counter to Jesus Christ and his teachings, so if we are Christians, why on earth do we celebrate it?! And for Fr Kalcidon, yes, he and his brothers in Christ should censure village feasts because they are simply disgusting! - but he is right to warn people about Halloween and the Church should adopt an official standpoint on it as well.

Luke Bonnici

Oct 26th 2011, 19:01

this is simply ABSURD!

Suzanne-Marie Psaila

Oct 26th 2011, 18:30

Well, when I was at the Catholic university in Canada in 1999, our university priest, during a mass explain Halloween to us. He said it's roots are in Christianity : "hallow" same as "hallow'd by thy name..." meaning Holy .... and "een" as should be "e'en" short for "evening". So the whole night is to prepare for the Holy Evening, the night before 1st November. We were never told any of evil farfetched connotations. And it's not truly simply an American celebration, back in the mid-21st century Italy's towns were already celebrating this particular evening in a strikingly similar way as the Americans, and now the rest of the world, do. Come on Church, jahasra you're losing too many followers already, why come up with these things??

Mrs diana cottis

Oct 26th 2011, 18:29

So now heavy metal music is coming under fire. I am a fan of such music and have made it to my fifties without becoming involved in satanic worship. I have seen Ozzy but never felt the urge to bite the head off a chicken. I have seen Alice Cooper but never wanted to hang or guillotine anyone. Yet the church is quite happy to allow Easter re-enactments. Surely that qualifies as 'torture, mutilation and strange killing' ?

Maria Vella

Oct 26th 2011, 18:02

WAIT....what year am i in? no , what CENTURY am i in??? I'm confused.

I'm waiting for the inquisitor to pop up and start condemning people for dressing up and 'dabbling into the occults'

..Medieval Malta at it's best! =)

Robert Agius

Oct 26th 2011, 18:00

“be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death”....fancy that! coming from the same institution whose symbol is a man nailed to a cross.

Anthony Farrugia

Oct 26th 2011, 17:54

On the subject of Halloween, can the Police authorities and Swieqi Local Council inform residents what measures are going to be taken over the coming weekend to stop vandalism against cars and private properties as well as threatening behaviour towards residents by the young and not-so-young supposedly having fun celebrating Halloween. This is not a comment about the religious aspect - 275 previous comments are more than enough - but it concerns public order in the Swieqi area next weekend !

Robert Callus

Oct 26th 2011, 17:50

When I was in secondary school they used to show use videos of Rock andHeavy Metal bands to tell us they were Satanic and had hidden messages that could penetrate our brains. WE LOVED IT! Not only getting a break from lessons but also being exposed to music that together with many others I love till this day. (No, none of us has become a Satanist nor has anyone's head in the freezer)

Some bands like ACDC and WASP started injecting "Satanic" messages deliberately to get the free publicity. And it worked. I don't know were Marlilyn Manson would be without the Catholic church.

Keep it up Kalcidon!

G Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 17:42

Who created satan in the first place?.

Zagroma Savrene

Oct 26th 2011, 17:41

I'm an atheist, so I don't care what the church says, I'll do what I want.

Daniel Zahra

Oct 26th 2011, 17:20

y

Richard Vella

Oct 26th 2011, 16:53

When I think the Maltese Church has touched rock bottom with its stupidities, one find that it has dug up another layer to go even further down.
How can one take its comments seriously regarding Halloween? I am 52 years of age and have grown up listening to rock music and still do like most of my generation. Does that make me some kind of Satanist? After forty years of rock music I should be able to spout flames!!!!
What about the so called relics of Saints, making all the 'fidili' worship parts of limbs sculls etc presupposed that they are REALLY to body parts of saints? Ye sure!!!

Jordan Bailey

Oct 26th 2011, 16:53

from BBC
All Hallows' Eve
All Hallows' Eve falls on 31st October each year, and is the day before All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day in the Christian calendar. The Church traditionally held a vigil on All Hallows' Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.

The name derives from the Old English 'hallowed' meaning holy or sanctified and is now usually contracted to the more familiar word Hallowe'en.

Reuben D. Spiteri

Oct 26th 2011, 16:46

Hey let's ban Carnival as it promotes insanity, stupidity, and foolishness.

Ban Valentine's day too as it's based off an old pagan festivity.

Let's ban Oktoberfest as it promotes alcohol!

Let's ban April's Fool Day as it promotes stupid, tastless jokes.

Let's ban trade fairs, as they promote materialism.

Heck let's ban christmas and easter too for that matter as they have become commercialized and materialistic!

Bottom line: Live and let live already! It's not gonna hurt anybody, and anyone wanting to kill/get drunk won't be waiting for Halloween.

guido calleja

Oct 26th 2011, 16:13

Actually I"m quite astonished at Dun Kalc's remarks since I always considered him as a down to earth person. I can assure him that Halloween dosn't instigat bad deeds as he declares. My kid does not go on a killing spree nor does he inflicts injures on others and so forth, on the other hand he's a very docile and sweet natured kid. I am saying this because my son simply loves Halloween and looks forward to trick or treating. So I don't understand why he should be deprived of such fun. I think it's better if you have a look at the marci ta filghodu in village feasts. Now that's what I call paganism.

@ Francis Saliba

Whenever my son goes trick or treating most times he gets nothing and he does NOT vandalise properties even though they bang doors in his face

Joseph Calleja

Oct 26th 2011, 16:01

"Halloween, celebrated on October 31, exposes people to “sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing”.Get a life Fr Kalċidon Vassallo. This is so archaic and misleading. And then one wonders why people do not trust some priests anymore. You sound like somebody from the old testament, you really sound like John the Baptist out in the desert screaming his head off. Fr Vassallo you managed to ruffle the feathers of your parishioners and maybe you have raised a bit of mayhem yourself. I am sure you have made some children very disappointed with your archaic statements.
PS. Make sure to read all of the comments. Boo to you too, Trick or Treat..

Francis Saliba M.D.

Oct 26th 2011, 15:47

@ David Caruana. (26 Oct 2011 at 09.34)

It is you who should be ashamed of yourself!

I do not like some aspects of Halloween and with good reason. It is not true that I am "allowed not to take part in it.". Halloween is imposed on me, on my own property because the doorbell is rung annoyingly and and persistently by inebriated youths, forcing me to come out and to be importuned by irresponsible youths. When I do not submit to their demands my property is vandalised.

Minn xiex ghandi nisthi jien? Isthi int!

Jessica Henry

Oct 26th 2011, 15:41

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

....enough said.

A Bonett

Oct 26th 2011, 15:38

What about the Curia starting to screen all the correspondance which is addressed to newspapers, blogs, websites etc ? I am not in favour or against Halloween, as I never found anything interesting in such feast. However, I think that the local Church authorities should start and monitor all those parish priests who take their own initiative to express their opinions publicly !

JOSEPH ZAMMIT

Oct 26th 2011, 15:35

Is this the latest joke from the curia?
halloween was changed by the Christian Church into All souls' day by which the faithful would give money to the priests for masses for the repose of the souls.

Once i stopped to watch a village Good friday procession. Near me there was a foreign family--tourists--who were watching. I can never forget the fright the little girl had, wild screams and tears down her soft face, grabbing onto her mother's dress, when one of the participants, dressed as a Jewish soldier, appeared carrying the head of John the baptist on a platter. I was really shocked myself with the poor girl's outburst and was relieved when her parents left the scene.

Gianluca Falzon

Oct 26th 2011, 15:35

Oh come on this is outrage! Why would your first thoughts on a group of teenagers celebrating halloween with costumes be sadism, sexual violence and torture? Like I'm going to a party next saturday and when I walk into the bar I see rape and murder going on? No, but rather people wearing costumes (optionally of course), having a drink or two and dancing to some music. How would that be different from the same situation decades ago?

The church here in Malta is going right over the top. Just because halloween can be traced back to pagan cultures (it is very unprofessional to call it halloween in that case) doesn't mean it is a neo-pagan culture. Because 1. That's ignorant and 2. It's not really a culture if it only takes place for a short period of time each year. It is simply a feast just like a village festa, only about something different.

Personally I'm indifferent to halloween, and I never wear such costumes because I see no fun in it, but when my friends do so they never do it with an occult in mind, just as an occasion to dress differently and have a different sort of fun. Does dressing up like a witch mean you will start witchcrafting? Or become a thief if you trick-or-treat?

Macabre presentation of skeletons and bones - what about the bones and skeletons you can find under side altars in churches? Those creeped me out a lot when I was still young.

"It would be better if halloween would not be celebrated" - It has the same meaning today for people to have fun like carnival. If you remove halloween might as well remove carnival, and that is not a good idea with all the loyal fanatics. Plus why would Malta preach against it if other countries embrace it as perfectly legal AND safe?

“Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.” - Someone is really ignorant. I've never seen teenagers celebrating halloween wearing pentagrams and overturned crosses. And in halloween I'm going to drink with my friends not have a sort of occult. Get out of here. No it isn't anti-christian. It simply has a dark theme. Just like carnival has a colourful theme.

Church work harder on situations such as child rape by members of the church itself rather than going off topic on something which is perfectly safe and legal. Yes, perfectly safe because you don't go to the parties and you don't know what goes on in there. I do, and for the most part I see plain socialising take place.

Church, get owned.

R Bartolo

Oct 26th 2011, 15:34

Three cheers to the Balzan parish for promoting like never before a date which up to the very recent past came and went without anybody noticing.

The only real and lasting disturbance that Halloween causes, it seems, is only in the mind/s of the person/s who came up with that pathetic and hilarious flyer. Definitely no harm to the kids having fun - oops, sorry, pretty sure they would all much rather be at "duttrina"... or maybe not.

Anthony Pace Gouder

Oct 26th 2011, 15:29

Halloween after all has nothing to do with Maltese Tradition. Every year , this PAGAN event is being given an increased measure of publicity . I believe its also being promoted, albeit innocently, in some PRIVATE SCHOOLS ,even at Kindergarden level !

Some, oddly , are mistakingly thinking it''s A PUMPKIN CELEBRATION! A locality is also holding a day event '' Sagra tal-Qara-hamra ''. but I ''m not sure that it's related with Halloween .

With the exception of the Sagra, given the benefit of the doubt , the main purpose is to establish it as a Calander Day of Celebration and foolish partying !

Just AN OPPORTUNITY for the benefit of the Bussiness Community

A Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 15:22

Doesn't this Parish priest have nothing better to do? What next? Why not ban Good Friday processions then with the white hooded people looking more like Klu Klu Klan! Ban also Carnival and maybe while he is at it he would also want to ban Christmas since commercialism has taken it over. Get a life Parish priest and stiop this old fashioned nonsense!

Joseph Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 15:21

the term killjoy must have been coined for these ppl. I am a fully fledged 47yr old who enjoys pumpkins and witches hats and seeing kids tricking and treating each year - WITH ABSOLUTLY NO CONCEPTION OF THIS WIERDNESS!! I am sorry but it is such a note which is wierd not Haloween.

Mr C Galea

Oct 26th 2011, 14:53

please go away church and let us all keep our bit of fun and sanity. thank you.

Alex Buds

Oct 26th 2011, 14:49

The Church instrcuts believers they will burn in hell suffering indescribable torments for eternity unless they do its bidding. Double standard perhaps?

Mark Anthony Fenech

Oct 26th 2011, 14:47

Dear Church,

LOL

Sincerely,
Mark-A

Anthony Girard

Oct 26th 2011, 14:43

Halloween, celebrated on October 31, exposes people to “sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing”.

So does television

Roger Tirazona

Oct 26th 2011, 14:34

There is absolutely nothing macabre about the glorification of the crucifixion displayed everywhere in very gory details, the ornamental niche displaying the severed head of St. Catherine of siena. There is nothing macabre and unnatural in marching around Polish streets with a wafer that allegedly grew heart muscle, a history of european churches claiming to be in possession of the holy Prepuce, i.e Jesus' foreskin from his circumcision, and a myriad of other ridiculous relics like Jesus' umbilical cord and the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul at San Giovanni Laterano. There is nothing macabre about the chapel of bones with walls adorned by hundreds of bones and skeletons including ones from children.

I hope the People of Balzan will find enough paper recycling receptacles.

Christina Pace

Oct 26th 2011, 14:30

This is pure nonsense and we take nonsense very seriosly here in Malta. Duh!
I imagine all the walking saints on this holy land never were exposed or participated in haloween celebrations. Uwejja! ma ndahhqux! And I would deduct from this article that since "undercurrents of occultism" and isolated incidents of strangeness happen should stop us from celebrating halloween, then we should stop listening to the church as there were "isolated"cases of child abuse by priests.

I think if anything this feast encourages creativity in most people that participate in it. Kids take advantage to produce art and craft, and even in some work places you find competitions for best decorations going on. This encourages appreciation of everyone in a team by highlighting skills the individual may never have another chance to show off. Same goes for carnival, incidetally also discouraged by the church. So much for encouraging diversity and development.

O R Busuttil

Oct 26th 2011, 14:17

In fact, Halloween does have pagan roots, but then again so does the 25th December. I choose to take it just as I took the anti-divorce campaign, live and let live from BOTH sides. Let people who are affected by these teachings worry about it. I, for one, will not as I think they’re a bit (read: a lot) out of touch on this one and even more so on the reference to hard rock/heavy metal. We have seen bands such as Black Sabbath refute and actually laugh in the face of known (real) devil worshippers who wanted to involve them in their congregation just because the band moniker had connotations. At one point, Nirvana were also labeled as satanists in their home state of Seattle, they just shrugged and said that it didn’t even merit a reaction from the band. If one of the largest selling music genres of all time really resulted in kids worshipping the devil I really think that Christianity would have been extinct by now.

E. Forte

Oct 26th 2011, 14:17

Harmless enough. But do we have to import every Anglo-Saxon custom. Don't we have enough traditions of our own!

Mr Clyde Ellul

Oct 26th 2011, 13:55

Just goes to undermine further the Church's popularity.

Mr Adrian Vella

Oct 26th 2011, 13:53

yawn ..... wake up to 2011!!!

Jo Meli

Oct 26th 2011, 13:46

In TRUTH the so-called Word of "God" is a source of :

ANTI SEMITISM - the Roman Catholic Church had a field day in Burning at Stake ALL those who embrased the Jewish Faith, the Spanish Inquisition's infamous Auto de-Fe' is a case in point;

GENOCIDES - the Old Testament is FULL of such Acts against Humanity - classic examples are :

God kills 70,000 innocent people because David ordered a census of the people (1 Chronicles 21).

God orders the destruction of 60 cities so that the Israelites can live there; he orders the killing of all the men, women, and children of each city, and the looting of all of value (Deuteronomy 3).

God orders the attack and the killing of “all the living creatures of the city: men and women, young, and old, as well as oxen sheep, and asses” (Joshua 6).

God orders the murder of all the people of Jabesh-gilead, except for the virgin girls who were taken to be forcibly raped and married. When they wanted more virgins, God told them to hide alongside the road and when they saw a girl they liked, kidnap her and forcibly rape her and make her your wife (Judges 21).

God allows slavery, including selling your own daughter as a sex slave. He also orders that women are not to be freed of sexual slavery: “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.” (Exodus 21:1-11).

God allows and condones child abuse (Judges 11:29-40; Isaiah 13:16).

God allows and condones bashing babies against rocks (Hosea 13:16; Psalms 137:9).

God commands that victims of rape are to be stoned to death for the shame of losing their virginity (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).

God assists rapists by bringing the rape victims to them himself (2 Samuel 12:11-14; Zechariah 14:1-2).

God commands that when females are captured in war, they are to be divided equally amongst the men to be forcibly raped (Judges 5:30).

God commands burning human beings alive (Joshua 7:15; 1 Kings 13:1-2; 2 Kings 23:20-25; Ezekiel 21:33-37).

God commands and condones fathers burning their daughters alive (Judges 11:29-40).

God commands that all nonbelievers are to be burned alive (Deuteronomy 13:13-19).

God orders that an entire town of innocent people should be killed and destroyed if there is one nonbeliever/worshipper of another god in that town (Deuteronomy 13:13-19).

God orders that people who are curious are to be put to death (1Samuel 6:19-20).

God commands that all children of sinners are to be murdered (Isaiah 14:21).

In total God, kills 371,186 people directly and orders another 1,862,265 people to be murdered. Yet, the second commandment explicitly says, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).


IS Halloween more dangerous than THIS ???

Ms Donna Degaetano

Oct 26th 2011, 13:43

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the church preach to people about the devil and burning forever in hell? Don't people dress in long robes with masks covering their faces and chains around their feet during the Good Friday procession? What's the difference between that and the Halloween costumes kids love so much? This goes to show that the Church hasn't got enough things to keep it occupied it just has to meddle with everyone's affairs!!! I don't know whether to laugh or cry it is so ridiculous!! I bet you Halloween will be more popular than ever this year just because of this :)

J. Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 13:33

Mela il-marcijiet brijusi tal-festa x'inhuma! mhux kulhadd jaf x'jigri meta il-bniedem ikun fis-sakra! mhemx ghalfejn noqod nispecifika. mhux halloween iehor!

Mr Eric Gahn

Oct 26th 2011, 13:32

And Good Friday does not expose sadism and torture?

Jeff Scicluna

Oct 26th 2011, 13:31

when thinking about it one surely realizes that putting a crown of thorns on a person's head, lashing him and nailing him to a cross is not macabre at all : )

D Castillo

Oct 26th 2011, 13:26

whoever has a printed copy of today's times, go to the middle page (junior news)

SHOCK!!! HORROR!!!

it's all about innocent children promoting "sadism, sexual violence and torture"!!!!

they should truly be ashamed of themselves, trying to make fun and games about such a serious issue as is the Evil of Halloween!!!

(NOT!)

Mr l Azzopardi

Oct 26th 2011, 13:26

aħjar nidħak ....

Victor Pulis

Oct 26th 2011, 13:16

God condemned human sacrifice especially the sacrifice of the first born. And yet, Christianity is based on just that notion! To make it worse there is also a hint of cannibalism thrown in.

Simon Ciantar

Oct 26th 2011, 13:06

It seems that everyone can speak his or her mind except the Church ! Why not just take note and move on ?! There is an undeniable truth underlying what the church is saying here... many kids that are attracted to the occult start off innocently enough... if such a warning no matter how "extreme" it might sound to many saves one child from going down that path... i think would have been worthwile.

Margaret Richards

Oct 26th 2011, 12:57

Hehehe hilarious at its best. I never was a fan of Halloween.........but this time around I might even dress up as a witch with a lantern in the form of a pumpkin and go with a good bottle of wine celebrating halloween on the Curia's front steps in Floriana - or better still in Balzan!!! The possibility of celebrating in the Inquisitor's palace was a good one too:) To all the freaks within the church, the parish priests who should see how they are spending their time and money, to the holier than thou freaks of the church commission - just get lost because with all these hilarious baseless stupidities you are making people who were initially indifferent to celebrations of halloween have a go at it if for nothing else - to challenge the powers that be. For money's sake - get lost and live and let live..............i would have a go at trick or treat - and who knows what I might come by. As for the sexual depravity - seems the church is fascinated with the sex topic and they want to talk about it when they can - guess the lack of it makes the urge stronger...........which is why priests have stooped so low as to become pedophiles. I'd rather be frightened of pedophile depraved priests than of kids celebrating Halloween!!!

Willliam Goham

Oct 26th 2011, 12:53

Well, probably in the Church's eyes, Harry Potter would be Satan!! Unbelieveable, what a country I live in..

Steve Pace

Oct 26th 2011, 12:51

The article went on to warn parents to “be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death

The Catholic church Itself worked and still works on fear of death, fear of God, guilt feelings, The Holy Ghost ! , Hell , even expressions in the Maltese Language like " Jekk Alla jrid " ( What happens if He doesn't ) , We have had people claiming calamities will happen if divorce comes in Malta. These same people claimed tha Madonna weeped (Olive oil and the same person's claimiing the miracle blood ) People were promised Eternal life if they left their hard earned cash to the church ..

None of this has been condemmed by Fr. Vassallo or by any other priest ...

P. Vincenti

Oct 26th 2011, 12:45

I have to agree with disagreeing with Halloween.

Charmaine Marmara'

Oct 26th 2011, 12:42

according to the church everything is the devil ....i think they saw The Waterboy with adam sandler ....everything is the devil according to his mum .....

charlie cauchi

Oct 26th 2011, 12:35

nghidlu lil min qall li din il festa twassal ghal hmerijiet li qal. il festi kattolici li il knisja ticelebra fkull belt u rahal dawk ma iwwaslux ghas sess? ghal vjolenza? u ghal ghatti imorali. halluna kwieti u tkomplux tipruvaw timponu fuq in nies. zmien il babaw spicca

E Schembri

Oct 26th 2011, 12:35

Why all this fuss?

If you don't believe in the church teachings, simply ignore it or tear it up! No one is forcing you to do anything! After all the church has a right to voice its opinion, or does it not?

The biggest joke here is that I can bet that a great majority of these anti-church bloggers, attend the village feasts mass, intend to ..or got married in a church, want to baptize their kids and most probably also send them to MUSEUM. Talking about hypocrites!

If you enjoy celebrating Halloween.....then DO SO and stop complaining and blogging!

William Flynn

Oct 26th 2011, 12:28

This type of crap by the Malta church, that believes it can still scare Maltese back to the pews of the empty churches, always brings out the numerical evidence that the vast majority of the Maltese people think the Catholic church is a joke.

The thing that scares people every day not just on Halloween is that convicted child rapist Catholic priests walk free and aren't on any paedophile register.

I Bugeja

Oct 26th 2011, 12:27

people should not celebrate village feasts either as these are a showcase of excess alcohol, drugs, bad language, inappropriate clothing etc etc

should everything be banned because of a minority of incidents?

If the answer is yes, the church should start from its own home!!!!!!!!!

John Xuereb

Oct 26th 2011, 12:23

iva naqbel
teenagers huma vulnerabli hafna ghal dawn il-perikli ezistenti f'Malta. Il-mod kif tidher li ghandha tigi iccelebrata l-'festa' jaf iwassal ghal konsegwenzi koroh ghal min hu bla ghaqal

E. Forte

Oct 26th 2011, 12:22

Harmless enough, but do we have to import every Coca-Cola custom. Don't we have enough traditions of our own!

Sue De Nym

Oct 26th 2011, 12:21

***Halloween exposes people to ‘sadism, sexual violence, torture’***

Halloween? Anyone remembers the Inquisition by any chance?

Mr Emmanuel Bonnici

Oct 26th 2011, 12:19

Halloween in reality is celebrated in remembrance of the souls held in purgatory, waiting to be purged from their sins in order to go to heaven. At least that's how it originated in catholic Ireland. Whereas in Ireland and Britain, it was the custom to create these 'souls faces' on turnips, in the US, the pilgrims started using the much-more common pumpkin.
Another version of the origin of these Jack o' Lantern's according to Irish legend is about a certain Stingy Jack who by managing to trick the devil, was promised not to go to hell when dead (although being a sinner). When this happened, he found the gates of heaven obviously closed and was sent to hell. He was also refused entrance in hell so Jack had nowhere to go. An ember was tossed to him by the devil and Jack carved out one of his turnips and placed it in there, thus began his endless wandering of the earth trying to find a resting place.

Therefore, both legends do not praise or call for any sadistic and other inhumane acts.

Halloween is another feast created by the western man's imagination due to his religious influence. In fact it is nowhere to be found except in the western world, where Christianity is the dominant religion.
Halloween is the opposite of Carnival. Whereas Carnival (an other socio-religious feast created in purpose by man to fulfil his inner desires) is followed by Lent, a time of sacrifice, Halloween is a time when man reminds himself of all that is scary and that which can happen to him after life, just before the happy times of Advent.

If one is prone to such miserable practices as this priest is saying, it is because he is sick in the mind. Furthermore, he does not need to wait the 31st October in order to do so!

Mr Ernest Vella

Oct 26th 2011, 12:18

Ovjament din in-nota tghodd biss ghal insara Kattolici u haddiehor jaghmel li jrid. Imma ma taghmilx sens li naghmlu min kollox biex uliedna nghammduhom, jaghmlu l-precett u l-Grizma u fl-istess hin ngeghluhom jiccelebraw Halloween - festa neo-pagana bla ebda sens kulturali jew religjuz.

Issa min ma joghgbux mhix problema...biss ma jilghabiex li mixi wara Kristu jew jghid li hu nisrani fejn jaqbillu. Ipokrezija tissejjah!!! u l-fidi mhix karnival

Mr Marcel Dingli

Oct 26th 2011, 12:16

View today`s www.spiritdaily.com.. Further comments are unnecessary.

John Xuereb

Oct 26th 2011, 12:13

naqbel. ghal teenagers li jridu jesploraw id-dinja u jhossuhom li huma adulti, l-halloween huwa periklu kbir.

Corianne Farrugia

Oct 26th 2011, 12:09

If Halloween is pagan, what are the christmas trees, the statues of saints in feasts etc?

wendy isaac

Oct 26th 2011, 12:08

This just proves my point that some Maltese just have no sence of humour whatsoever, if they were to smile alittle bit and take things easy and with a pinch of salt then perhaps they could add another 5 years to their life span, oh by the way reading the article above i nearly wet meself laughing bent backwards. Cheer up and don't take things too serious then perhaps we can all live happily ever after and for your church i say Amen.

Francis Saliba M.D.

Oct 26th 2011, 12:05

@ William Flynn (26 Oct 2011 at 09:52)

I cannot trace my comment to which you seem to be replying and it is not because I have lost my feet (according to your worthless opinion)

Emblems relating to Christianity have the proven value of being part of a culture that has proved durable and cherished by millions over millenia and that has outlasted its persecutors to the chagrin of today's atheists.

Not everyone is happy and laughing during Halloween - ask those whose property is vandalised or those who are "tricked" if they do not "treat".

And one last thing to all those of your ilk. Christian feasts are not "based" on pagan rituals - they have REPLACED them.

Mr Marcel Dingli

Oct 26th 2011, 12:04

View today`s www.spiritdaily.com. Further comments are un necessary.

Mr Andrew Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 12:03

Just out of curiosity, i sometimes wonder what the church thinks about Harry Potter, beloved by most kids and some adults i know :)
I have imagined the answer in my head , although i must admit my imagination had a hand in it which included the Waterboy's mother as a figure head for the Church
"Mama i, i, i, i, can i see harry potter?"
"NO! Harry Potter is the DEVIL!!!!"
I might be wrong... :D

Steve Pace

Oct 26th 2011, 12:00

I propose to hold this year's Halloween party in the Inquisitors Palace in Birgu. A torture chamber is included with all extras just before the stairs leading to the court room. We should have some re-enactments of real life situations when people were tortured for "Only 30 Minutes at a time" to confess to their sins. We will lead them up the stairs and have them bow down to enter the low door which is directly opposite of the Inquisitor's chair.... That should be fun !

Mr L Vella

Oct 26th 2011, 11:47

Just calm down and take it for what it is: A very effective piece of comedy. I certainly died laughing when I read it.

Simon Scerri

Oct 26th 2011, 11:46

For crying out loud. "torture, mutilation and strange killing”... "fear and death". Hallowe'en eh? What about the Good Friday processions? Especially those ghastly men, dressed in black, carrying chains, which used to scare us as kids. Not to say anything about the macabre statues being paraded around. And what about the 'mutilated dead corpse on a wooden cross' which many were up in arms to not remove from all public buildings. But that's in the name of 'religion', not in the name of pure and simple fun... so I guess it makes it ok!
Also, what screams 'paganism' most loudly at you - Hallowe'en with all its harmless costumes and merry making? Or statues of 'virgins', made to wear more jewellery than the average 'street worker' would ever wear, being paraded around hysterical screaming folk (some of which pay 1000's of euros to have the 'honour' of carrying it around)?
U halluna! Live and let live!

Mr B Brincat

Oct 26th 2011, 11:44

What we know as Halloween is in reality a celebration as old as mankind celebrated by most cultures across the world. The fact that it is celebrated in roughly the same period of time by cultures and peoples that have had no cultural contact is not surprising. Humankind has always felt the need to honour its ancestors in a 'day of the dead'. It is a noble gesture which recognises that we owe all that we are to our ancestors, both genetically and spiritually through our upbringing. The honouring of our ancestors is very much part of the human race, and is much larger, older and deeper than any religion or belief we have today.

Pooch Apache

Oct 26th 2011, 11:38

The church should mind it's own business. After all, doesn't their own religion (christianity) start intriguing children and kids with demons, crucifictions, life after death and mystical, 'miraculous' stories from the bible...
Halloween is just a celebration of some old traditions where people just enjoy something out of the ordinary. Sure some people take too seriously, but don't you find that on both sides too? - Religious feasts where 'devoted' extremists walk the streets with statues of a bloody jesus crucified on a cross, or mary with a knife stuck in her heart.... (most of the time ending up in fights over one mary or the other)

I think that the church should not brainwash parents with their stories, and should let parents decide what's right or wrong for their kids.
On the other hand, it would be best if the church pointed out this warning instead : "As A Church, We Are Warning Parents About the Serious Dangers of Christianity; We will brainwash your kids with stories written from a book, of over 2000 years old, terrorize them with demons and stories of people waking up from death, we will make sure they follow our, and only our religion, and occasionally give them their very first practical lesson of oral sex!

renald williams

Oct 26th 2011, 11:38

Good day: while obviously I always advertise in favour of Jesus;
personally article sentence I liked most was, ‘‘Children dressing up or trick-or-treating do so innocently’’.

Just for info:
according to Scriptures; Deuteronomy 18:10-11, and church’s history, Lactantius in the Divine Institutes - praying not to God only: but even to the dead; is also contrary to Scriptures, and contrary to previous church law.

Funnily enough: regarding skulls, bones and skeletons; council of Trent, which is quoted more than 75 times in the present catholic catechism - in Session 25 the council of Trent: considers relics, like skulls, bones and skeletons; as good and beneficial.

Besides even Christmas and Easter: were previously neo-pagan feasts; that found their origins in old pagan cults all over Europe, and are condemned in Scriptures, and in previous church laws.

Christmas was the feast of god Axera: its symbol the Axerim; today called Christmas tree,
condemned in Scriptures in Deuterenomy 16:21, 1 Kings 14:15, 1 Kings 16:33, Jeremiah 2:27, Jeremiah 10:3-5. Even church law: previously condemned Christmans; as Clement of Alexandria in his Notes, wrote that Christmas was a condemnable superstition.

Easter was the feast of god: sometimes called Astarot or Astarte or Ishtar or Eastre; depending area where one lived , known also as the Queen of Heaven - with its offering: today called locally the figolla; condemned in Scriptures in Judges 3:7, 10:6, 1 Samuel 7:3, Jeremiah 7:18.

For all those who believe, simply read the Gospels, and simply pray to Jesus.
Peace and health wishes to all.

Joseph Cauchi Senior

Oct 26th 2011, 11:34

Correct me if I’m wrong.

Wasn’t the macabre murder of the British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia by Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito committed on Halloween night?

Is there any connection to this Halloween business, perhaps?

Just curious!

JC.

Mark Shaw

Oct 26th 2011, 11:33

What a load of rubbish!!!.. Qoute " Halloween “runs contrary to the central belief of Christian eschatology”.".. that's a strange thing to say being as nearly ALL early christian celebrations that are still around with us today were really "stolen" from the pagan religions of the time and then made over to suit the catholic/christian view of it's leadership to control and manipulate the great "un-washed" of the time up to and including today! Thats the raeal truth the "Church" doesn't want you to find out folks!

vella m

Oct 26th 2011, 11:28

Haaaaaahaaaaa,Happy Halloween to all :)

Heather Rivett

Oct 26th 2011, 11:26

I totally agree with you Amanda there are too many people who try to spoil peoples fun ...... It is those people that have the wicked minds !!!

Richard Galea

Oct 26th 2011, 11:23

Holloween is a loose canon that create havoc in our children's minds....especially in their time of puberty........It is launching pad for irrationality, evil , drugs, and young girls danceing half naked.
The Church is right in condemming the practice of such events....In fact I would love to see the Archbishop Cremmona taking a firm stand about this subject matter.

Eric Haig

Oct 26th 2011, 11:22

"Neo-Pagan" is wrong in definition. It's in fact older than the celebrated feast the church put up along with all the other cover up feasts including Christmas. We don't we all follow our morals, shall we? Something about falsity and lying in all that?

j dough

Oct 26th 2011, 11:20

paganism does not mean satanism.

I am not a fan of halloween but to cloak it in this blanket of danger is ludicrous! So many countries 'celebrate' a day dedicated to those who have passed away. what about the feast of 'day of the dead' in mexico? and indeed 'all saints and all souls'? Halloween is actually celebrated on the eve of 'all saints' (all - hallows-even) and is pickybacking on ancient pagan festivals as christian feasts so often do.

Mr Andrew Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 11:16

trying to scare people back to the Church seats are we!
but wait a second, isn't the bible full of sex, demons, murder, adultery, torture, and what not. are they going to ban that too? i mean if you want to remove all influences of such things, we should empty all video stores, cinemas, books, internet, news, radios, games and what not, actually i think the Church would love that.
Please remember that a mask is just a mask just as a knife is just a knife, in themselves they are not evil, it all depends on the person wearing or wielding them. It basically come down to personality and upbringing. In the end even if you remove every possible bad influence from this world you would still have good and bad people.

Mike Abbot

Oct 26th 2011, 11:15

“Halloween is a neo-pagan feast that finds its origins in old pagan cults all over Europe. Halloween, in a most subtle way, focuses on death, the occult and evil spirits,” Fr Hector Scerri, president of the Church’s Theological Commission, said.

and

"Catholicism is largely based on pagan feasts that finds its origins in old pagan cults all over Europe. Catholicism, in a most subtle way, focuses on death, sin and the devil,”

David Smith

Oct 26th 2011, 11:15

Here we go again...so many people missing the whole point and talking off the top of their heads. The points to consider are the following (i) the celebration of halloween is driven first and foremost by commercial interests (just take a lot at all the adverts appearing on the Times Online edition) - if the majority of people want to let themselves fall prey to this commercialism, so be it; (ii) as in any case, there will be people who use an occasion for their own specific purposes - satanists do this in the case of halloween, but then again, they also use mass for the same end; (iii) the celebration of Christmas and Good Friday by Christians has got nothing to do with Halloween - they are not pagan rites nor do they have pagan origins as has been mentioned by some commentators (saying so only shows how much ignorance there is). Good Friday on the other hand does not extol sadism and torture - it only reminds beleivers of the suffering of one man at the hands of other men.

John Zammit-Spiteri

Oct 26th 2011, 11:13

Haloween is a perverse celebration of the macabre. The Church is warning us that this celebration does nothing more but exposes us to evil occult and what is ugly and dead. This is not a feast. A feast is a celebration of something which brings joy not fear.

Haloween is an excuse for perverted to do what they like with the excuse that this is fun.

I am ashamed that in our country such trends are being adopted , and we should keep our children away from such culture of death.
We should keep our children clean from such events and we should always keep in mind that there is nothing beautiful about the macabre.

Amanda Bennetti

Oct 26th 2011, 10:52

We go to a halloween party every year and the only thing we have been exposed to is good fun!! Its an excuse to get together, dress up and have a laugh...no different to carnival in my opinion

Nathalie Frendo

Oct 26th 2011, 10:49

When will the church stop treating us like stupid idiots? We have the right to celebrate what we want how we want. Just because something has not always been a tradition in Malta it does not mean that it is bad. Is seeing the torture of the passion of Christ maybe not bad in the eyes of our children or are we suppose to sympathise there because of the teachings of the church. Our Good friday processions remind me of the cook lux clan hooded men torturing themselves walking for kms on end with chains round their ankles. old women crawling on their knees on our rough roads that is sadiism. The church praises its sadism but warns aginst other cultures.

Keith Goodlip

Oct 26th 2011, 10:42

They forgot that Christmas is a pagan celebration too.

http://www.essortment.com/christmas-pagan-origins-42543.html

Patrick Harvey

Oct 26th 2011, 10:40

This article says that the feast of Halloween “runs contrary to the central belief of Christian eschatology”.

Well... I've also seen things happening at religious feasts during the famous marci, that I think they "run contrary to the central belief of Christian eschatology"!!!

It's true that the Church tried to do something to "fix" the festi tar-rahal, but in my opnion when I see a traditional Marc ta' filghodu, all I see is paganism! So why critisize Halloween???

Eman Zerafa

Oct 26th 2011, 10:32

"sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing", reminds me of a book children are advised to read!

Chris Borg

Oct 26th 2011, 10:31

Almost all my friends listen or used to listen to Heavy Metal. Most of them played in a band (I have been playing in a Death Metal band for years myself). They all dislike or don't care about Satan. And the kids who listen to Heavy Metal and end up acting as if they were Satanists is not because of music. It is all because they are rejected by the Church. I think these writers, especially these priests, need to be more positive and show love to people instead of threatening about evil and being negative. Love brings all the happiness on its own.

S Cachia

Oct 26th 2011, 10:27

and i thought that the 1980s and 1990s issue of binding heavy metal (and its offsprings) to Satanism was all dead and buried. oh please!! give us a break.

The church condemns Halloween depicting it as an occult feast while promoting paganism throughout the year. Yes, look at village feasts (every week during summer). What are they if not a rite of paganism blessed by the church? A statue is carried in the most venerable way as if it was the saint him/herself. And what does the church say about the amount of free flowing alcohol and girls in skimpy (almost naked) girls cheering up in the morning band display??

So please, to all those who believe these stupidity and manipulating lies that the church is telling: go get a life and leave us in peace.

Emerson Farrugia

Oct 26th 2011, 10:24

Wait, dressing up and trick-or-treating might lead to what, exactly? Sexual violence, torture, and sadism? Sigh.

The Church's warning that Halloween is a celebration of the macabre and death is hypocritical when Good Friday, arguably the second most important feast in the Christian calendar, is celebrated in Malta by vivid imagery of Christ's passion and crucifixion. "[would it] be better if" Good Friday "were not celebrated"?

Tanya Briffa

Oct 26th 2011, 10:24

Pity I was never exposed to the "light, eternal life and the beauty and goodness of God" when i was being taught about the Catholic religion - it was all hell and damnation in those days.

I think there is a difference between kids having fun dressing up as ghosts and vampires and eating sweets, to all the gory practices the church is trying to scare us with.

It's good that parents keep a reign on things and not let them get out of control, but parish priests should probably do the same....

Darren Galea

Oct 26th 2011, 10:22

"Sadism, sexual violence, torture."

Sounds more like Catholicism to me.

Kathy Elliot

Oct 26th 2011, 10:20

Hmm. Right. Whatever.

*goes on living her life*

Victor Pulis

Oct 26th 2011, 10:16

While we're at it let's ban fairy tales such as Snow white, Cinderella, Sleeping beauty, Rapunzel and the rest because they all contain witches, fairies ,sadistic killings and curses.

David Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 10:13

Thanks to Kalcidon! This actually gave me a great idea. I will start circulating papers highlighting the evils of the roman catholic church.

It seems that I am legally allowed to do this since Kalcidon is allowed to demonise a peaceful religion as Wiccanism.

I have to rmeind everyone that no war has been waged in the name of Wicca and no one has been hurt in its name either - unlike the roman catholic's crusades and inquisitions.

Sarah-Jane Gatt

Oct 26th 2011, 10:11

What a shame the church didn't just organise there own Halloween party for the children, all it is to children is parties and sweets, I’m sure if the church had organised a party, as it does for Carnival and Christmas, and had costume competitions, the children would have gone along and had fun!!!!

David Mangion

Oct 26th 2011, 10:07

Sigmund Freud - THE WORLD GOES ROUND ON SEX
Jesus Christ - THE WORLD GOES ROUND ON LOVE

People make their choices and build their creeds accordingly.

Tutto il resto e' relativo.

Claire Abela

Oct 26th 2011, 10:00

To all parents who are submitting comments down under : Just ask the parents of the students of the Junior Lyceum in Zejtun, I done know its name nowadays, what happened few years back in this nutorious feast, ask them and you can see if Fr. Vassallo is right or wrong!!!

Do not hesitate to contact even the then Headmistress or the assistant heads, not to refer you the zejtun parish priest, who will tell you exactly what happend and how worrying all were!!!!

MALCOLM SEYCHELL

Oct 26th 2011, 10:00

I think that Sadism, Torture and sexual abuse has been tollerated by the church for decades when it came to abuse on young boys.... by some of its priests

Keith Montanaro

Oct 26th 2011, 09:59

Paganism is a scare word used by the church, also known as heathenism, is a blanket term used in various different contexts to refer to groups who are defined by either their religious beliefs, or in some cases lack thereof which simply contradict the catholic church.

The nice thing about this is that it is obvious that the church is dying, it is a pleasure to see that after 2000+ years of lies, manipulation and attempts at control of peoples lifes and spirituality it is finally coming to an end.

I appreciate all the good the individual do on behalf of the church, but helping the needy is not a roman catholic trait it is only human nature. No matter which way you paint lies and manipulation, it remains evil.

As a collective whole religion (NOT spirituality) as an institution is holding back the development of society and mankind through wars, lies, brainwashing, manipulation of politics ...
So adios church, i hope i dont catch you on the flip side ;)

Matthew Grima

Oct 26th 2011, 09:57

The origins of Halloween have nothing to do with what kids do today.
The only way kids look at Halloween is a day to wear costumes and get sweets. I've not heard children worshiping satan or watching sadistic porn, especially as a result of such a "celebration"

Rationality, look it up.

Paul Micallef

Oct 26th 2011, 09:57

Not much to add realy as all is said in this blog. One thing though.


HAPPY HALLOWEN

Gianfrancesco Buttigieg

Oct 26th 2011, 09:53

“Sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing”... also known as kids begging for sweets in highly unconvincing costumes.

What's "strange killing" anyway? Killing people by beating them up with a cream éclair?

Mr Daniel Jones

Oct 26th 2011, 09:53

Isn't its true title All Hallow's Eve? The evening before saints (Hallows) day?

If the church is worried about sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing then it should look no further than the inquisition. All these were used to extract 'confessions' from so-called heretics.

Also, how can one guard against occult practises and satan unless one reads and informs oneself about it? Oh, wait, I forgot, we are supposed to just take whatever the priests tell us at face value.

William Flynn

Oct 26th 2011, 09:52

Francis Saliba!

Surely he has no more feet left. He keeps shooting them off. For what is more scary than a crucifix; or a man chained to a pillar being scourged until his skin is flayed; or a woman with a sword sticking out of her chest?

What about the Ku-Klux-Klan clad fratelli dragging chains as they moan?

During Halloween everyone is happy and laughing; but the Catholic brand of Halloween is serious and scary.

Bring back paganism where going to mass meant having lots to eat and drink and sex and dancing and singing all night long. So much more fun.

Oh! I forgot! It's already here and its called Carnival.

Frank Gauci

Oct 26th 2011, 09:50

Mhux ahjar il-Kurja u l-Knisja jaraw kif se jergghu jdawwru hafna nies lejn il-Knisja; milli joqoghdu jghidu cucati bhall dawn...

Mr A Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 09:50

And by the way, this is the lyrics for a death metal band which you claim to be satanic and against the church. It may come to a surprise to some that lyrics are also about current events.

Of course, lyrics exaggerated to go with the style (same as rap is "all" about all tough and gangster)

http://www.lyricsvip.com/Aeon/Forgiveness-Denied-Lyrics.html

Snippet from the lyrics:
Priest you disgust me
On your knees
Plead for forgiveness
Forgiveness denied

You are the worst kind of liar that is
You deceive deceive your people with lies
How can you stand there and preach about life
while crushing a defenceless child
Touching young children and even your own

Joe Borg

Oct 26th 2011, 09:46

However - I do think that this feast/celebration is stupid -- Just one more excuse to boost business and a convenient party theme --

Angelo Baldacchino

Oct 26th 2011, 09:45

So does holy week

Christian Sciberras

Oct 26th 2011, 09:43

Now, now it seems the Church is taking up my job criticizing feasts (pagan or not).

It, however, does sound ironic considering until a few years ago, the Church was the number one institution advocating the use of force and torture.

That said, mysticism, satanic or not (including allegations of visits by holy spirit) is a dangerous game. Not in spiritual terms, though, but more on the psychological after-effects, since it seems some people are sheep enough to believe in whatever crap they're told.

Finally, I pretty much think the Church is going way overboard with these ridiculous allegations. People that are seriously drenched in this occult probably don't give a hoot about what the Church says.

To conclude, the Church's warning is simply making those remaining loyal to this religion even more dubious about their choice.

David Captur

Oct 26th 2011, 09:42

Whenever members of the church go on rants of this kind I get images of God (if he or she exists) playing Xbox & sipping beer (Chill obviously, God enjoys flavour) while occasionally looking down at the church and face-palming in distress.

Kyle Boffa

Oct 26th 2011, 09:41

my my.. I have been to quite a couple of Halloween parties.. so if you hear about someone who falls into the category of "sadism, sexual violence, satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing" and who at that time happens to be listening to heavy metal on his ipod.. well blame me. :D

Joseph Magro

Oct 26th 2011, 09:41

There's no worse nightmare than religious obsessions..
Please.. stop creating drama and attracting attention, it's getting old.

Chris Zarb

Oct 26th 2011, 09:41

"As a Church, we are warning parents of Halloween’s serious dangers"

As a parent I would prefer the church to warn me about paedophile priests instead.

Eve Axiaq

Oct 26th 2011, 09:40

Halloween is another business, like Christmas and Easter. The exception in this case is that Halloween does not have the church blessing. But the rest is all business: costumes and parties. And Christmas? A truly paganism feast...sadly.

Mr Daniel Jones

Oct 26th 2011, 09:39

I wonder if this is true for the Harry Potter books and movies too? After all, it features witches, wizards oh and a fight of good over evil.

What about Star Wars?

Although I have to agree about heavy metal music, that is evil (although only on the ears).

Christina Pace

Oct 26th 2011, 09:34

The Church is obviously doing its best to alienate as many people as possible this year.

If they had made their research correctly they would know that halloween, or All Hallow's Eve has nothing to do with satanist belief, nore is it a sadistic celebration. It does however celebrate death as a positive in that it makes way for new life. Traditionally a very ancient festival related to farming, which is where ancient belief systems originated, Halloween celebrated the end of the death/dry season (summer). The skeleton was used more as symbolic item than a macabre token of doom. Of course, the Church would have us believe that death and darkness are bad things and that "light, eternal life and the beauty and goodness" are the only traits of God. Certainly they would not like to be reminded that one cannot exist without the other and that they are both one and the same.

Moreover the Church also celebrates this feast as all souls' day, but has celevrated it on the 2nd November since the beggining of the 20th century. Such is the hypocricy is staements like this. Not only does the Church celebrate this feast but the Church also chose other festive dates to celebrate its own holidays., Easter and Christmas being the most famous. Not only has "Christmas" been celebrated about 2000 BC thus indicating a pagan origin but even Santa Clause has his origins in German pagan mythology. So many times in ancient religion was it repeated that a virgin gives birth ot a child that saves the people, and it proved so popular that when the Church was born in 300AD they decided to retain the story. Easter was also celebrated 4000 years ago, but it was called Astarte [Isthar] is one of many names for Babylonian queen of heaven, Beltis. Babylonian in origin is also the lent that precedes Easter, while the easter egges have their origin in druid culture.

Now I would love to know if the Church would also like people to stop celebrating Easter and Christmas along with Halloween as these clearly have links to Catholocism but they obviously have their origin in Pagan beliefs.

Joseph Aquilina

Oct 26th 2011, 09:32

From Wikipedia;

“Some Christians feel concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism, the occult, or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with their beliefs.[50] A response among some fundamentalist and conservative evangelical churches in recent years has been the use of "Hell houses", themed pamphlets, or comic-style tracts such as those created by Jack T. Chick in order to make use of Halloween's popularity as an opportunity for evangelism.[47] Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith[51] believing it to have originated as a pagan "Festival of the Dead".”

Again some people adore attacking the Church even when the Church is doing what she obviously has to do considering the origins of Halloween. Indeed the Church in Malta is fighting the same fight against parish festivities which are becoming too pagan. So on this one no one can say that the Church has two standards. Personally I do not like Halloween; not for it being a pagan feast (I consider our parish feast to have become a little too pagan as well), but rather because it was introduced to generate money. Families as a whole are bullied (peer-pressured) to buy costumes for Halloween, Presents for Christmas, another costume for Carnival, and so on and so forth. Additionally, culturally, in Malta we have the Carnival. This is the Maltese feast, and not Halloween which was made popular in America!!

Reuben Zammit

Oct 26th 2011, 09:32

Strange, I thought the Church's history of its bloody founding (the persecution and extermination of Gnostics and other early branches of Christianity), Crusades, Inquisition, its partnership with 17th to 19th century colonising efforts and its recently exposed acts of child molestation would be much more violent than a thousand years' worth of Halloween celebrations. Not to mention its central symbol, the crucifix, which displays an almost naked man having just undergone whipping and torture

william cauchi

Oct 26th 2011, 09:31

This note only shows that the church is still soooo far from reality and is still living in the times when people could be scarred by ''gejj il-babaw''.

That white means ''purity'' and black means ''the devil''.

That up is ''heaven'' and down is ''hell''

That angels have ''wings'' and the devil ''horns''

Wakey, wakey.......some hope, without all these ''scares'', would the church really exist!!!

Jesse Galea

Oct 26th 2011, 09:30

....and what about a crucifix, ehat about Good Friday....aren't those macabre ??!

W Cassar

Oct 26th 2011, 09:29

Re-confirms why the church is dying a slow death, in this day and age most people have a mind and use it, the days of scaring people so that the church can control them are long gone.

Plus if you look at the Christian feasts one will find the exact same things as said about Halloween. The church is an hypocrite, but we already know that!

I suggest they spend their time weeding out the pedophiles that still remain amongst them!

Now where is my Alice Cooper cd.

Roderick Micallef

Oct 26th 2011, 09:28

Once again the church & whoever came up with this letter is showing how ridiculous & outdated they are. Why are you surprised with Halloween which is only 1 day? The church has a whole month dedicated to the dead!
What about torture, mutilation or strange killings. The old testament is jam packed with all of this so why point fingers to halloween? I can go on, some one said that Halloween is a neo-pagan feast (which isn't even right because has got nothing to do with religion) but the most pagan out of all is the church itself and anything that it celebrates, all the jewellery, treasures, statues, symbols and rituals!
It was said that halloween focuses on death and evil spirits, the church does that continously. Life after death is the only insurance the church and religion tries to sell because no one can ever claim anything after death. The whole notion of life after death is continously mentioned by the church and that includes evil spirits and demons so what's new?
However the cherry on the cake was the fact that Heavy Metal music draws 'children' towards the occult! Can I kindly ask HOW did they come up with this conclusion and what studies and researches have been made to draw this conclusion?

A Spiteri

Oct 26th 2011, 09:26

Seems that the church is still trying to slaughter old pagan holidays!

Halloween is an old pagan holiday. Its rituals consisted in preparing for the autumn and burn the harvest not consumed in summer. By doing so, they also remembered the death. That is why in November, Christians remember the death.

Just as Christmas and Easter after all!

Wesley Dee

Oct 26th 2011, 09:24

Wow!

I've obviously been going to the wrong Halloween parties.

E Gatt

Oct 26th 2011, 09:23

I think Fr Vassallo’s comments were exaggerated, however I personally think we should resist this Americanised and commercial activity from becoming more widespread.

I definitely feel that Halloween activities should not be encouraged at school – which is what’s happening in some cases by the way.

yani ellul

Oct 26th 2011, 09:20

halloween is evil.... and parents are warned against letting their children dress up and go trick or treating...... what about the village festas where the sunday march is used by many as an excuse to offend others,drink, take drugs and do god knows what else... all in the name of their patron saint...... is this ok with the church??? the church as an institution in Malta should be more consistent with what it says, don't condemn certain things whilst keeping shut on others....... id rather stop what happens during feasts rather than children trick or treating...... i'd rather make an example of rotten apples within the churchs system... then ill be setting an example....

Claire Bezzina

Oct 26th 2011, 09:20

how come the church doesn't stop the much annoying sound of bells ringing in the middle of the night, all year round and the annoying sound of petards that take place during feast day in summer. this sound is so annoying especially at night and the church does nothing about it.

Joseph Mizzi

Oct 26th 2011, 09:19

This is one of many instances where the hypocrisy of the Maltese Catholic Church really stands out.

I would much rather prefer my kids have good, clean fun trick-or-treating, dressed up in costumes so very much similar to those worn during Carnival and immensely enjoying themselves, albeit the celebration being rooted in pagan, pre-Christian folklore, than having them stone-drunk, bare-chested, sweat-drenched in front of an Our Lady statue celebrating some mystical happening during the orgy-like, Church-sanctioned village festas.

Francis Saliba M.D.

Oct 26th 2011, 09:16

This is a "modern" "enlightened" and "progressive" anti-Church segment of society that objects to the crucifix because it could frighten children, but scaring them with Halloween monsters or vandalising private property that is praiseworthy and to be encouraged.

Justin Azzopardi

Oct 26th 2011, 09:14

Not going into the merit of the ludicrous comments stated in the sheet, I would really like the church substantiating some of its outrages claims with some facts, studies, and if not, at least some of its reasons. The reason that it wants to keep people in control through fear and misinformation not withstanding.

Pawlu Agius

Oct 26th 2011, 09:13

I just don't care of religions, but for once I COMPLIMENT THE CHURCH.

This new haloween celebration is nothing but a mere stupidity and those parents who send their children knocking on doors, annoying people, begging for sweets, and threatening with throwing eggs on your facade, should be ashamed not only of themselves but also of their own children. Without knowing, they are upbringing a generation of "PROUD TO BE AN IDIOT", making them interested in stupidities rather than concentrating on much more serious things like our very own culture (eg the art of making cribs and the use of paper-mache, faux marbling and other crafts involved, etc) God save us from this new generation of idiots (already reflected in the sometimes idiotic names they give to their own children, not even suited to a pet)

Rocco Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 09:09

To certain extent I agrre with what the church is saying, because what outcomes is being given to the young children mostly at primary level age. What meaning a parent/adult is going to give to these children if asked about this activity. Wrong habits/doings mostly begin at a small age through our examples and lenient behaviour of some - everything do. This can be seen around us where the values, respect etc; are diminishing or already diminished with all the consequences being faced by the families themselves and society as a whole. It's better that one truly considers the consequences before it is too late.

D Castillo

Oct 26th 2011, 09:06

i'm so glad this article was written - i'm not ashamed to say that i was the one who scanned the offending leaflet and distributed it over facebook two days ago - i'm so glad action was taken!!!

the church's scaremongering tactics are not doing anything to attract more youths to it

N. Galea

Oct 26th 2011, 09:05

OMG! I dont have words to express how stupid I find this article ... In boxed, bolded text, it says: “As a Church, we are warning parents of Halloween’s serious dangers. This feast is a dangerous celebration of fear and the macabre.” LOOOOL how dramatic!!!!!!!!! Its just dressing up and having fun! thats it! Why our church always has to spoil something which is fun! Thats why I stopped going to church, I switch channels when I see them! to be honest I dont know why I bothered reading this.. as I could have imagined what it was all about! YES we will be dressing up YES children will knock doors and quote "trick or treat" and YES we will have fun with our friends!

Christian Scicluna

Oct 26th 2011, 09:05

the middle ages are over........?

Ryan Bugeja

Oct 26th 2011, 09:04

The church is become increasingly strict on such celebrations, and I think it's practically digging its own grave.

Halloween is simply similar to Carnival, only not as colourful. In my opinion, such festivities are acceptable, since they are simply that, festivities, and not a true belief in some higher power, satanic or demonic. These further beliefs by the church that halloween is wrong and is unacceptable is all crap. No wonder they are loosing so many Christians, you can't do anything without it being wrong or immoral!

C Azzopardi

Oct 26th 2011, 09:04

The church would earn much more points if it would shut up :)

I wonder what these STRANGE killings are... Also just a tip to Mr Kalcindon Vassallo, almost all christian feasts WERE pagan feasts (not gonna mention examples, everyone should know). This was a hilarious read, thanks TOM for this article, you made my day :)

Roderick Mallia

Oct 26th 2011, 09:03

The Church still believes we are that stupid to accept everything they tell us. Our mentality has developed and so have our beliefs. Most of the people still believe and follow catholic events, but i agree with the other posts that metal music and halloween have got nothing to do with satanism. You have to move on with time, church!

Mr A Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 09:03

The following comment is rated S for sarcastic:

jien vittma tal muzika heavy rock. mindu bdejt nismaghha hajti inqelbet ta taht fuq, bdejt namila ma nies ohra li jisimaw dan l istil ta muzika u sahansitra immur go 'rock bars' u nara 'live bands'.

Iktar ma jghaddi iz zmien, iktar inhoss li is sitwazjoni qeda tigrava. nisthi nghid li ghal ewwel darba din is sena sifirt 'festival' ta dan l istil ta muzika ma grupp hbieb, fej rajna mhux inqas min 24 band iddoqq fuq stage kbir hafna, bhal qisom iridu jimitaw il kobor tal mulej. wahda mil bands kien Ozzy li huwa membru tal band black sabbath, li ghamlet hsara irreparabli lil moralita tas socjeta.

wara din l esperjenza iddecidejt li niqaf nisma din il muzika kreata min istrumenti muzikali u li trid talent kbir biex iddoqq diski b dik il velocita. minflok ser nisma muzika elettronika li tista tibnija b kompjuter fil kamra tas sodda. ser niqaf ukoll niltaqa ma daw il hbieb li sibtom jghinuni fil mumenti kolla ta bzonn, u li tant dhaqna flimkien f daw is snin.

minflok ser noqod id dar nara it televixin fuq stazjonijiet lokali li ma jkollomx oxxenitajiet fihom, u ma namilx hbiberijiet 'close' ma nies ohra ghax ghandi dak kollu li andi bzonn mil imhabba tal mulej. l unika hbieb li nixtiq ikolli huma kattoloci li jiggudikaw l haddiehor u jamlulu hajtu mizerja minajr ma jaraw affarijom l ewwel, hekk kif allimna alla.

J Farrugia

Oct 26th 2011, 09:02

Seems like some people in the church just dont know when to shut it, have a look at what the church has done in the past before opening a hornets nest.
Leave people to decide for themselves and you'll be better off, carry on like this and sunday mass will be even more empty than it is.

Joe Scerri

Oct 26th 2011, 09:02

Why doesn't the church warn parents about paedophile priests first?

Andre Debono

Oct 26th 2011, 09:01

If I had to say on how many levels this is complete and utter nonsense I would need space for a a whole other article...however I will just say this regarding 'mutilation'....I believe that our good ol' religious parish feasts fireworks have DEFINATELY caused more mutilation, torture and violence than halloween (at least locally)...get real clergy we are not living in 2000 BC anymore....and if we had to judge everything by it's origin, having statues in temples and churches is ALSO of pagan origin, does it make it satanic? If so, you're in some serious contradictory problems!....And here I'm just stating some the Technically illogical arguments....if I had to tackle the stupidity of the concept itself I would go on for ages!

Kevin Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 09:00

Fr. Kalcidon,

If you haven't notice yet... you are doing much more harm than good to the church and to all those who believe. Non believers are taking the church for a ride with the note you've sent - and that is not the church's mission.

Adrian Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 08:58

Dear Church, seriously, get a life.

Ivan Cocker

Oct 26th 2011, 08:58

Medeival Curia ... what is next the inquisition?

Originally Halloween was a twist of an event which has it's roots in the Druid and Celtic culture, were sopranatural and mother nature was their basis of religion ...

S. Mula

Oct 26th 2011, 08:57

I've been listening to Metal music and dress up for halloween since I was 13....and guess what??? I AM NOT a satanist or into occult!!! -_-

If the chuch is saying that terror, fear and death has to do woth occult....then it should censor or throw away the bible!

Charles Sammut

Oct 26th 2011, 08:57

You have to be religious to believe in Satan and the occult. So the cure is simple. No religion - no Satan.

Jeremy J Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 08:55

'sadism, sexual violence, torture’..subjects on which the Chruch is without a shadow of a doubt an expert!!!!!

Nathaniel Diacono

Oct 26th 2011, 08:55

How exactly does dressing up or trick-or-treating lead to sexual violence, sadism and torture ?????
This is being blown way out of proportion.

A Camilleri

Oct 26th 2011, 08:54

kids go trick or treating in malta, and we had started it back in my day, and till now i did not even think of any of the above while having some fun with my friends playing dress up! so they are oblivious to what the church says it is!

why does everything have to be spoken about or get ruined? how about the vatican being rich and people dying of hunger, how about you look into that dear church :)

David Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 08:53

"This feast is a dangerous celebration of fear and the macabre"

So what the heck is Good Firday?!?! Blood? Crosses? People parading statues of a butchered man?! Masked men in chains?!

And what about drinking blood and eating flesh?! Isn't that macabre enough?!

Gary Jameson

Oct 26th 2011, 08:52

Because of rubbish like this, a young woman (Amanda Knox) ended up in jail for three years ...

William Borg Barthet

Oct 26th 2011, 08:50

The parish should also issue a warning on Christmas trees and Easter eggs. If the church wants to be taken seriously it should really focus on ousting such crazy fear-mongers from its ranks.

Reinhard Azzopardi

Oct 26th 2011, 08:50

How sweet. Keep trying dear Church, keep trying. 20 years ago when I first got into the heavy metal scene, the church was all out against it. 20 years down the line, all the people I knew in the scene, myself included are hardcore satanists. U hallina. We were young. We were rebellious like most other teenagers. We were curious. Yes, some of us did dabble in the occult but most of us pulled through. The vast majority of us still love the music but have settled down and are raising a family like everyone else is.

Let kids enjoy halloween. They don't know or care about the paganism. They just love the costumes and the fun that goes along with it. Let children be children for crying out loud.

Ms Donna Degaetano

Oct 26th 2011, 08:45

Why do we always have to see something bad in everything?? How negative can we be? It's just a little bit of fun that's all......live and live for goodness sake!!!! I'm 28 years old and a mother of 3 kids and I have never thought about satanism and such things when I hear about Halloween! But now it will be associated with it because some know it all just had to point out the connection even if, in my opinion, there isn't one!!!!!

victor caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 08:44

Unbelieveable....get lost and let the children enjoy themselves....ahhhh! children

David Mercieca

Oct 26th 2011, 08:44

“Halloween is a neo-pagan feast that finds its origins in old pagan cults all over Europe. Halloween, in a most subtle way, focuses on death, the occult and evil spirits,”

- Fr Hector Scerri

Even your Christian religion has origins in old pagan traditions from all over the world! Aren't you, as a "Christian" supposed to tolerate other's opinions? The Halloween tradition does not attack your beliefs in any way so what's the big deal?

Why do you do this? It's like you are begging people to hate your ways..

Fiona Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 08:40

Children dont know anything other than the fact that they get to dress up in costumes and recieve candy, it's just simple fun for them. Sending letters to households and creating all this fuss in the media is obviously going to plant misleading things into their heads which i think have no substance at all!

David Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 08:39

"This feast is a dangerous celebration of fear and the macabre"

So what the heck is Good Firday?!?! Blood? Crosses? People parading statues of a butchered man?! Masked men in chains?!

And what about drinking blood and eating flesh?! Isn't that macabre enough?!

vella m

Oct 26th 2011, 08:34

Haaaaaahaaaaa,Happy Halloween to all :)

Marius Zulgis

Oct 26th 2011, 08:34

Surely parishes acting independently shows fragmentation and disunity within the catholic church. If the catholic church wishes to (waste money, resources and) show opposition to people celebrating Halloween, there should be a central policy with all parishes towing a common line.

Having said that the catholic church seems to be determined to go on interfering in people's lives causing resentment rather than making a concerted effort to attract people through humility and example, and this last charade achieves nothing more than alienate the church further from the people following the Iva Le Divorce debacle. Pity.

Ramon Casha

Oct 26th 2011, 08:31

One look at the gory statuary carried around in processions is enough to show which entity celebrates a "culture of death". Beheadings, people stuck with arrows, stonings, not to mention a whole plethora of bloody depictions of the torture of Jesus himself, culminating in his crucifixion. And remember, these are things that people - including children - are expected to take seriously.

By comparison, Halloween is a fun event where young people have fun and which is no scarier than any other theme-costumed party, with bats and pumpkins and pseudo-scary masks and costumes.

These are the same kind of people who tried to get Harry Potter books and films banned. It seems clear to me that toddlers are better able to distinguish between fantasy and reality than some supposedly adult people.

David Caruana

Oct 26th 2011, 08:30

What a load of hogwash!

The paper throws a direct attack at Wiccans and that is disgusting. The Roman Catholic church, through all its histroy destroyed thousands of different cultures and belief systems. Not this time. This time it will backfire on these close minded and twisted bigots. All welcome a further haemmorage to the Roman church.

Thank you Kalcidon!

B Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 08:23

"Halloween is a neo-pagan feast that finds its origins in old pagan cults all over Europe. Halloween, in a most subtle way, focuses on death, the occult and evil spirits,”Fr Hector Scerri.

By the same logic we should ban celebrating christmas a pagan holiday adopted and adapted by the Christian community. Perhaps we should ban the blessing of homes and people with holy water, also a christian take on a pagan practice. The list goes on...

Saviour Sam Agius

Oct 26th 2011, 08:21

Christmas is also a pagan feast. Will they be distributing the same kind of material come December?

Andrea Portelli

Oct 26th 2011, 08:20

“a macabre presentation of skeletons and bones”.

It seems someone hasn't taken the time to observe the floor at St. John's co-cathedral, lol.....

religious people - funny lot

Emanuel Tanti

Oct 26th 2011, 08:19

of course, let's blame ozzy osbourne, dita von teese and world of warcraft for the increasing alienation of patrons from the church...

Pauline Peterson

Oct 26th 2011, 08:19

Well written Brendan Borg, and well done to the Balzan Parish Priest.

I hate it when this time of year comes around, as it seems Malta has caught onto the evil tradition of Halloween.

It is one thing to remember our dead loved ones, and another to dabble into the practices of the occult, which "harmless" trick or treating can lead some, further down the track.

Please take heed and don't get involved and don't encourage your children in this new (to Malta) tradition. It has nothing to do with God. It is a pagan custom. Would Jesus go "trick or treating" ?

Saviour Sam Agius

Oct 26th 2011, 08:18

Għidilna naqr'oħra ħa nidħku.

Kenneth Cassar

Oct 26th 2011, 08:18

I wonder...does Halloween also lead to the sexual abuse of minors?

D Gatt

Oct 26th 2011, 08:12

I reckon they are looking for a new public relations / media officer.

Luciano Mule Stagno

Oct 26th 2011, 08:12

Halloween is simply an excuse for young (and the not so young) to dress up and party or trick and treat. These people must have come across some of the extreme Christian literature from the US - issued by the same people that see the Devil everywhere (rock music, dancing etc...) and believe the world was created some 6000 years ago and everything in the Bible should be taken literally. Maltese catholics know better than that.

l vella

Oct 26th 2011, 08:11

Please !

http://www.halloween-website.com/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

wayne scicluna

Oct 26th 2011, 08:10

To the church and all of its cronies........you have been going down the drain for a while now (anti-divorce campaign, pedophile priests ect) But this article is just a sad a pathetic way to get attention. Grow up if you want to be taken seriously.

M Abdilla

Oct 26th 2011, 08:09

Can we get any lower than this? They managed to turn an innocent holiday based on fun and excitement into a satanist pagan ritual....why do people continue to support these people???

John Cassar

Oct 26th 2011, 08:06

By the same comparison, Easter also exposes our children to torture, sadism, and killing. Maybe I should start keeping my children away from anything to do with Easter as well.

Anyway thanks for a good laugh.

Charlene Bonnici

Oct 26th 2011, 08:02

oh my god I have to explain to my 6 year old that if we go trick or treat he's going to be a maniac in the future. for heaven sake, keep children as they are without us adults putting ridiculous stuff in their minds.

Dan Mangani

Oct 26th 2011, 08:00

Soon we'll be hearing how putting up a Christmas tree will open one up to Paganism!-

Ethelbert Schembri

Oct 26th 2011, 07:59

Reading the history of the great Roman Catholic Church will expose you to sadism, sexual violence, torture, genocide and much much more atrocities !!!

This is only a happy feast leave it alone !!!

Justin Spiteri

Oct 26th 2011, 07:52

Oh, and.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M6px6Ynm90

Mr A Grech

Oct 26th 2011, 07:52

jien vittma tal muzika heavy rock. mindu bdejt nismaghha hajti inqelbet ta taht fuq, bdejt namila ma nies ohra li jisimaw dan l istil ta muzika u sahansitra immur go 'rock bars' u nara 'live bands'.

Iktar ma jghaddi iz zmien, iktar inhoss li is sitwazjoni qeda tigrava. nisthi nghid li ghal ewwel darba din is sena sifirt 'festival' ta dan l istil ta muzika ma grupp hbieb, fej rajna mhux inqas min 24 band iddoqq fuq stage kbir hafna, bhal qisom iridu jimitaw il kobor tal mulej. wahda mil bands kien Ozzy li huwa membru tal band black sabbath, li ghamlet hsara irreparabli lil moralita tas socjeta.

wara din l esperjenza iddecidejt li niqaf nisma din il muzika kreata min istrumenti muzikali u li trid talent kbir biex iddoqq diski b dik il velocita. minflok ser nisma muzika elettronika li tista tibnija b kompjuter fil kamra tas sodda. ser niqaf ukoll niltaqa ma daw il hbieb li sibtom jghinuni fil mumenti kolla ta bzonn, u li tant dhaqna flimkien f daw is snin.

minflok ser noqod id dar nara it televixin fuq stazjonijiet lokali li ma jkollomx oxxenitajiet fihom, u ma namilx hbiberijiet 'close' ma nies ohra ghax ghandi dak kollu li andi bzonn mil imhabba tal mulej. l unika hbieb li nixtiq ikolli huma kattoloci li jiggudikaw l haddiehor u jamlulu hajtu mizerja minajr ma jaraw affarijom l ewwel, hekk kif allimna alla.

Michael Camileri

Oct 26th 2011, 07:51

In certain cultures it is simply the passing over of spirits... I find it typical such an article would appear in the media of a country such as Malta...

Very very amusing

Oliver Smith

Oct 26th 2011, 07:48

Fr Vassallo, do you have any proofs/statistics to substain your theory?

'If no, believe me that you are doing more harm then good!!! Better shut up!

Justin Spiteri

Oct 26th 2011, 07:47

SHOCK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mozRtyp4xQ&feature=related :)

B Cassar

Oct 26th 2011, 07:44

I personally don't like halloween, never celebrated it and when I was young this feast never existed. However, I don't see where the church is coming from. Such articles make me literally realise that the church is never able to leave people free to decided themselves what is good and what is bad. For god's sake, can the church realise that this is no Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan where it can dictate what or what not to do? Apart from this the usual messages are just crap. For me halloween is having carnival not once but twice in a year (and I don't like carnival neither). I see these messages sent to our homes offensive and disturbing our privacy. The same as they were for divorce.

This is a free country and as long as you are not killing or hurting someone a person is free to do whatever he wants. This behaviour makes me very angry. Every opportunity is good for the church to initiate the next crusade to keep hold of whatever is of the past and never acknowledge that the world changes, things change and whatever is here is not deemed to be here in eternity. Let these children have fun with their costumes and stop creating messes out of nothing. It's not a big deal. People have intelligence and they can see what harms and what not. Many countries celebrate halloween and it's not that bad. Dear church, don't do anymore harm to yourself already alot of people have been harmed by your attitude during the divorce campaign. I think you should concentrate on the pedophiles within the church instead of a one day costume event like this.

Neil Collins

Oct 26th 2011, 07:42

I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasnt April Fools Day.

This is really quite sad. Why does the church keep doing this. Every time it opens its mouth it has nothing constructive to say. There are so many things wrong with modern day society, and you know what....... Halloween and Heavy Metal music is the least of their worries. The church should take a long look at itself before preaching about sexual deviance to others.

Charles Grima

Oct 26th 2011, 07:34

You know what? We don't really care!

Heavy Metal music has pushed me towards Satanism? Whoever got this idea? Sure there are elements in music that are anti-christian and satanic... but then you would have to rmove haf the world's literature, and music...

I have been listening to Heavy Metal ALL my life, and my kids have taken to it like a duck to water. If it boils down to a choice, I'd renounce Christianity anytime... but never have we heard such preposterous talk....

Did these IDIOTS know there is something that is called Christian Metal, or White Metal?

And do these idiots know that we don't really give a flying turd?

HEAVY METAL TIL I DIE!