Archbishop Paul Cremona has called for a concerted effort by the government to promote raising the "moral fibre" of the Maltese.

In comments during Pontifical Mass to celebrate Malta's Independence, Mgr Cremona said Independence and subsequent political events including the attainment of the Republic status and Freedom Day, brought about increased responsibilities for the country.  

But one had to wonder, had the country's moral fibre improved or gone backward?

"What efforts are being made to strengthen the moral fibre, the social values of the country, justice, honesty and solidarity?"

Society was the loser when moral fibre was weakened, the Archbishop said. Without a moral conscience, the road was opened for theft, fraud, deception, tax evasion and injustice, all to the detriment of the people. 

Mgr Cremona suggested that a government entity, such as a parliamentary secretariat, could focus on strengthening moral fibre. 

While some work was being done in schools, this only targeted pupils, the Archbishop said. However one also needed to target adults and society in general. 

The Church had always worked to strengthen moral fibre, but it could not be left on its own.  Moral fibre had a social dimension and society as a whole needed to shoulder responsibility for it and take the necessary initiatives.  

Mgr Cremona also called for increased solidarity with foreigners, including those who were not Christian. 

He said the Maltese, in their prayers, should remember refugees, since this also formed part of a nation's moral fibre.  

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.