Pumpkins and consciences

Two children I know went to a Halloween party. The boy dressed as a skeleton , the girl went as a witch. She even carried a pumpkin. They had a hell of a time (pardon the pun). No one abused them or sucked their blood. Their parents had to pick them up as they could not fly back home on broomsticks.

People who celebrate Halloween only care about the fun it gives them- Fr Joe Borg

This is the experience of most of those who go to Halloween parties. From what I could gather most are less wild than some feast band marches that sing the praises of Catholic saints.

I was going to ignore the inane controversy about the ‘Catholic’ attitude to Halloween but decided not to, as the controversy involved (to a certain extent) two diocesan commissions and was addressed in a number of homilies and specially organised radio programmes.

People love celebrations. They invent all sorts of excuses to indulge in them. People who celebrate Halloween do not care about its past origins; they only care about the fun it gives them today.

Something similar is also happening to Christian festivals. For example, believers and non-believers alike celebrate Christmas, but the meaning of the feast is radically different for the two groups.

Most secularists do not feel they are undermining their secular beliefs by celebrating Christmas since they totally ignore its origins. They just love the drinks and gifts.

We were told Halloween runs contrary to the central belief of Christian eschatology – whatever people understand by this term. It could be that the origin of Halloween is pagan (though I have read contrasting explanations), but are the celebrations themselves pagan?

Ask the people who were celebrating whether Christian eschatology ever crossed their minds during the celebrations and you will have the answer.

People were given the impression that the celebration of Halloween goes against the teaching of the Church. I think one should explain that among the teaching or presumed teaching of the Church there is a hierarchy of importance. The teaching about the Trinity is one thing while the teaching of the Church – up to a couple of years ago – about Limbo was quite another.

A Conciliar constitution and an opinion of a diocesan commission, for example, are two very different kettles of fish!

We were also told that Halloween exposes people to sadism, sexual violence, Satanism, torture, mutilation and strange killing. This exaggeration beggars belief. This is not a theological statement but it is supposedly a statement of fact. It is the duty of whoever said it to prove it.

I think I would be hoping against hope were I to ask for a solid, scientific and peer-reviewed study proving these horrendous effects of Halloween. If I do receive it, I will gladly say I am mistaken.

Such unfounded statements are bound to create reactions. We have had examples of sexual violence on minors in the past but – as far as it is publicly known – these did not happen during Halloween parties!

The attitude to Halloween of certain quarters of the Church is in sharp contrast to the statement of the Peace and Justice Commission and the Environment Commission about the Budget. The statement was level-headed, studied, interesting, informative and intelligent. I am all for the publication of such studied statements.

There are many issues about which one expects different diocesan commissions to speak publicly about. A statement, for example, about the role of conscience in the public sphere would certainly be useful but a statement about Halloween pumpkins is hardly something one’s heart or mind pines for.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt