In Malta and Gozo we have a number of Church schools where parents prefer to send their children. Of course, parents do not refer to them as ‘Catholic schools’ but usually call them by their specific name.

Notwithstanding this, they know that they have been set up by the Catholic Church and are run by priests or members of religious orders under the guidance and direction of the local bishop.

The Church establishes her own schools because she considers them as being a privileged means of promoting the formation of the whole man according to Christian principles.

The Catholic school has its place in any national school system. By offering such an alternative, the Church wishes to respond to the obvious need for cooperation in a society characterised by cultural pluralism.

Teachers in a Church school should pass on to their students the Christian message not only by word of mouth but also by every gesture of their behaviour.

This is what makes the difference between a school whose education is permeated by the Christian spirit and one in which religion is only regarded as an academic subject like any other.

Often what is perhaps fundamentally lacking among those who work in a Catholic school is a clear realisation of the Catholic identity of that school and the courage to follow all the consequences of its uniqueness.

Teachers who freely accept posts in a Church school are obliged to respect its Catholic character and give their active support to it under the direction of those responsible.