Malta 2003. The most momentous thing that happened was Malta’s accession into the European Union. There was though another development which was of lesser national importance but of great importance to the Church in Malta. In September of that year, Archbishop Joseph Mercieca signed the nine documents that codified the work done during the first ever diocesan synod to be held in the diocese of Malta.

Malta’s societal structures and people’s value systems have changed so much since then. Accession to the EU made us part of European structures, legislation and procedures. The country is wealthier but the number of people on the risk of poverty has increased.

Divorce was introduced by popular support, while gay marriage in all but name was introduced with little to no opposition. Civil society is much stronger, as is the pro-environment movement.

The neo-liberal mentality tainted by more than a touch of cynicism that is rampant in economic circles has even fouled our idea of citizenship and now threatens our educational system. Different family forms are mushrooming and the government is trying to force the diktats of the Gender Theory – so much criticised by Pope Francis – on the population.

Multiculturalism is increasing as a result of both irregular and regular immigration. St Paul’s Bay and Marsascala are just two examples of multi-ethnic villages.

The radical changes that have been brought about by the technology of communications have not been well examined.

The new digitalised media environment impacts on our economy, politics, leisure habits, learning styles, work patterns and relationships, among others. The study of the effects on people’s religiosity and symbolic universe is of particular interest to this column.

People who go to Mass on Sunday spend under two full days a year at Church but they dedicate an average of 26 full days watching television and 17 full days listening to the radio. There are more homes having a TV set than homes having a washing machine or a bathroom.

Cyberspace is populated by the Maltese with the same ease they occupy in physical space. There are more internet subscriptions than TV ones. Almost 581,000 have a mobile phone subscription with many having access to the internet.

Our society is really mobile. The concept of space is radically changed and the cyber agora has taken the place of the village misraħ.

The government is trying to force the diktats of the Gender Theory – so much criticised by Pope Francis – on the population

A recent survey carried out for the Malta Communications Authority showed that over 97 per cent of homes with children aged eight to 15 have access to the internet. Around 17 per cent of third and fourth formers say that they are constantly online. The implications of all this will be the subject of a future commentary.

How should the Church react to all these changes? What is the best way forward particularly in the light of the directions being given by Pope Francis?

The basic decision that faces the Catholic community in Malta is a choice that has faced the Church many times in its history.

Should it be a sect (i.e. an inward-looking group) or should it be a Church (i.e. an outward-looking, all-inclusive community)?

Tertullian was an early (second to third century) prolific Christian apologist from Carthage, North Africa. “What does Athens (the prime example of secular learning) have to do with Jerusalem (the symbol of Christian commitment and thought)?” he bellowed in one of his writings.

He meant that the Church can learn nothing from the Greek Academy. Besides, he also took a very dim view of the popular culture of his time. The adoption of a Tertullian attitude towards social change would reduce the Church to a sect embattled by a siege mentality.

Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona had warned of the existence of a core group of Catholics nostalgic for a past golden age which never existed.

An opposite position is taken by St Augustine. His theology incorporates the idea that cultural signs have the power to facilitate our enjoyment of God. He was able to decipher the image of Christ in art and beautiful human artefacts. He gives a guarded endorsement of all things finite, calling them blessings of God.

Following this direction, the Church will be more akin to an agora than to a fortress. This is a brave Church ready to accompany people in their journeys along the digital highways of contemporary society.

Johann Gottfried von Herder, the 18th century German philosopher, theologian, poet and literary critic, always considered culture as the embodiment of God’s ideas. The Church should strive to find the ‘footprints’ of God in current society and its culture, including the products of popular culture and the busy avenues on cyberspace.

The Church should shun the attitude harboured by those who think that only Catholics have values. Those belonging to different religions or to no religion at all have values as well. Their values could be different from ours and, though we treasure dearly our values, rightly considering them to be the best, we would be foolish to refuse to recognise the worth of the values of others and not to engage in dialogue with them.

Refusing same-sex marriage, to give just one example, does not imply that the dedication and love that one finds in several same-sex relationships should be shunned or considered to be of no value. There are many such relationships which are both humanly rewarding and that enrich the community to which they belong.

Besides, those who, for example, have a different sexual ethic than ours can have a pro-environment or a pro-social justice stance similar to ours. Bridges can thus be built, respectful dialogue fomented and strategic alliances entered into.

This does not mean that the Church compromises on its teaching or that Catholics do not contribute assertively to the public sphere opinions based on Catholic beliefs. On the contrary, the more the environment is pluralised the more Catholics need to be formed and informed to mark public discourse and actions.

Twelve years after the promulgation of the Diocesan Synod’s documents, it is about time that these documents be revised (or better, rediscovered just like Vatican Council II) to better address current realities.

This revision has to be made within a strategy of dialogue, understanding and mercy while proclaiming the Truth which is not a list of dogmas but a person: Jesus Christ.

“Being Christian”, as Pope Benedict says, “is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt