Archbishop Charles Scicluna is anything but a passive pastor. He comes to the Church as a beacon of light and reason, well equipped with high intellect, a well-rounded formation and a highly attuned sense of perspicacity. When he speaks ex-cathedra, he is therefore sure to have a wide audience, one that is made up of both those who are prepared to listen and others who are prone to interpret anything he says in a manner that suits their political agenda.

But the Archbishop, obviously well aware of the nuances of the local political situation and of the Church’s historical baggage, is not afraid to express his feelings as pastor of his diocese. In 1969, the Church bound itself not to impose ecclesiastical sanctions at elections, but that does not mean that it ought to shut up and not participate in the affairs of the country.

His homily at St John’s Co-Cathedral on Independence Day has no doubt ruffled many feathers. Astute as he is, Mgr Scicluna must have foreseen the reaction he was likely to get, but felt he should speak out nonetheless. In his homily, he touched on all the raw nerves that are troubling Maltese society today, doing so courageously, without cutting corners.

In his characteristic sharp forthrightness, he brought up four basic values – unity, goodness, truthfulness and beauty – raising concerns that are well known to society but which appear to be sidelined in the frenetic race for power, personal aggrandisement, widespread hedonism, and greed.

Perhaps the sharpest remarks were those he made when he spoke about truthfulness. He said: “Governance based on spin, on obscure dealings and on a constant reticence to allow public scrutiny, irrespective of the myriad laws and the solemn promises, is definitely not good governance. Government based on the Orwellian disregard of the truth will one day implode.” Transparency and accountability, he argued, are “the values that will make us Maltese truly and rightly proud of our government”.

Again, what the Archbishop is saying here is nothing new, but coming straight from the head pastor, it carries a powerful message, a warning that could perhaps encourage a change of direction by those who are at the helm. Those who promised a new way of doing politics would need to live by their word. They need to stop posturing and pretending that they are doing exactly what they had promised when the country knows that they are not.

Every political party preaches the utility and desirability of unity when in opposition, but when in power politicians are invariably prone to taking measures that go diametrically opposite to the promotion of unity. Governing in a highly partisan manner in a sharply polarised political community breeds disunity and divisiveness, ills that have riven Maltese society under successive governments.

Patronage and cronyism have become hallmarks of every administration, with rampant injustices and discrimination eating away at the moral fibre of society.

The Archbishop touched on another subject close to his heart, the environment, which is taking such a battering today and which has become of such deep concern to many.

He argued that the uglification of the natural and historical heritage was a symptom of a lack of wisdom of the heart. Many of the remarks the Archbishop made are not exactly things some people, particularly those in government, would want to hear, but as he pointed out in an interview recently he is a free person in a free society.

Now, wait for the Labour barrage against him.

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