Archbishop Paul Cremona underlined the importance of unity, the preservation of the faith and the need for effective help to migrants and the poor when he delivered homily during thanksgiving Mass at St John's today to mark Independence.
“Two weeks ago, on the occasion of the Feast of Victories, I appealed for national unity, which is built upon justice, solidarity and subsidiarity. I reiterate that unless we are united, we cannot progress; I also believe that our people’s loyalty towards our religious beliefs is at the core of our unity as a nation and of the progress that we have achieved. Therefore, along with national unity, I wish to appeal to our people to remain consistently loyal to our faith,” Mgr Cremona said.
Mgr Cremona spoke on the importance of Independence for the country and the role it enabled it to play in international fora.
Through independence, he added, the Maltese became more aware of their heritage.
“As we share our patrimony with other European countries, let us appreciate these realities. Let us safeguard our mother tongue (the Maltese language), the richness of our history and our archaeology, and our Catholic religion, which has always been treasured by our forefathers, who battled to protect it,” he said.
The Archbishop said Independence also meant inter-dependence with other nations.
In this context he referred to the plight of refugees and reiterated his appeals for solidarity with them.
“In the name of interdependence, I wish to ask, in all humility: What is the European Union, and what is our country doing in international fora for this problem to be tackled concretely and adequately?
Why shouldn’t our country – a Catholic nation –speak out in the European Union and in other international fora so that the anguished cry of this people may be heard and their fundamental rights respected? This is an expression of agony which is a far cry from the plea which our nation makes when it rightfully states that a country as small as ours cannot possibly contain the large number of immigrants which arrive on our shores."
The Archbishop thanked those who rescue migrants and those involved in their care.
“Like us who have been born in this free land, they too are God’s children. Let us not resort to any form of discrimination based upon colour of skin, originating country, or religion. All forms of discrimination are not in the spirit of the Gospel," he said.
He also spoke on sections of the population who are at risk of poverty.
“During my pastoral visits, I had the opportunity to call on several schools where I met with students and their teachers. Several teachers expressed their amazement at how many children are unable to catch up with school work because they are emotionally or socially deprived. One young girl told me that she resorts to self harm because bodily pain is less hurtful than emotional distress.
Allow me to point out that drug and alcohol abuse is increasing among our youth; also, a great number of young girls are becoming pregnant with serious consequences for their future and that of their children.
"They see this as a sign of exercising their freedom, but little do they realize that they are enslaving themselves in the process. The human person is free and independent because he is endowed with enough wisdom to choose between those values which are beneficial to him and to the society in which he lives. As such, therefore, personal freedom does not imply separating oneself from others. The human being cannot simply seek his own interests and forget those around him; he has to unite with others so that together, they may seek that which is beneficial to all.
“In a developed nation, and as Christians, we cannot shut our eyes to what is happening around us; we cannot close our ears to the call for mercy of our brothers and sisters, both locally and abroad," Mgr Cremona said.