The Church should “avoid arrogance” and accept its role as one voice among many in society, but also resist campaigns aimed at silencing it, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said.

“As a community we enjoy a certain status in this country, but we cannot expect to impose our vision on everyone,” the Archbishop told a session of the Diocesan Assembly yesterday.

“At the same time, we must be allowed to contribute to society and to have our contribution recognised,” he said. “Other lobbies are very good at advancing their agendas – do we not exist?”

Mgr Scicluna emphasised that he would not “remain a hostage to the past” and accept the dismissal of Church teachings based on the failings of the Church and its leaders.

We cannot expect to impose our vision on everyone

While the Church should work to address its failings, they should not detract from the validity of its message, he said. “We must be prepared to speak out and not be afraid of any criticism that may come our way. There is no aspect of human life that we should not be involved in – whether it’s social justice, civil rights, or the environment.”

At the same time, Mgr Scicluna said, the Church must accept that the hostility it sometimes encountered was a symptom of deep wounds in society that had not yet healed.

“We cannot simply discard the baggage of the past; it is a pastoral challenge that we must face.” Mgr Scicluna called for a greater effort to understand the broader culture with which the Church had to initiate dialogue.

“Often in things we might instinctively judge as wrong there is a fundamental value in which we can recognise the presence of God,” he said. “LGBT people, for example, have a thirst for friendship and love that we must recognise. This thirst is not the sole preserve of married couples.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming jubilee year, which will focus on the theme of mercy, Mgr Scicluna said his vision for the Church in Malta was one of evangelisation.

He also called on all members to continue the Church’s mission of devoting its energy and resources to the common good and the wellbeing of society’s most vulnerable members.