The Archbishop has called on the faithful to curb excessive time spent on the internet and excessive use of the social media which he said is not allowing them time for their family, friends, and even themselves.

In a homily for Lent, Mgr Scicluna said this was a period of reflection as well as sacrifice.

On fasting, Mgr Scicluna said one would be better off abstaining from certain habits than from food.

“Maybe the habit I should be distancing myself from is that of excessive use of internet or social media that is taking time away from my friends or family or even myself,” he said. 

Mgr Scicluna spoke about Lent as a time for preparation for Easter and a renewal in the Faith.

He also called upon Members of Parliament to reconsider their plans to decriminalise the vilification of religion, saying liberalism should not be achieved at the cost of people’s faith.

“Where is our God, if we are willing to say that to be liberal, we have to have the freedom to blaspheme and offend Him?” Mgr Scicluna said in his homily during Ash Wednesday Mass in Tarxien.

The Archbishop said people from different religions, including Muslims, who set an example by fasting and praying, could soon start to question whether Catholics take their faith seriously, especially in light of situations such as the proposed changes to the law. True freedom came from uttering words of praise and not from being offensive, he said.

The comments were made as Parliament debates whether two articles of the Criminal Code that make it illegal to vilify religion “by words, gestures, written matter, whether printed or not, or pictures or by some other visible means” should be removed.

Article 163 specifically speaks about the Roman Catholic Apostolic religion, while article 164 refers to other religions. Anyone found guilty faces up to six months behind bars.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici last week said the change in the law would better reflect today’s society while also protecting artistic expression.

In a reaction, justice shadow minister Jason Azzopardi said the vilification law also addressed public order, security and peace of mind and while religion should not be imposed on others and everyone had a right to express themselves, one should not be insulting.

In the homily, the Archbishop also encouraged people to follow the Church teachings not just to impress those around them or to save face but to get closer to God, especially during Lent.

 

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