According to Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of France, freedom of expression is under attack in his country, and by the French Parliament to boot.

Claudette Buttigieg, PN MP, declared in Parliament that politicians taking a pro-life position in Malta risk being personally attacked.

Whereas in the opinion of Edwin Vassallo, PN MP, politicians almost feel embarrassed to express their Christian beliefs in public.

Three different statements in just over one week but all pointing towards the same direction: intolerance towards a reasonable space for Christian perspective in the public square. This has been going on for many years, so much so that Archbishop Peter Smith said in 2011 that “there seems to be a prejudice against Christians or against the manifestation of the Christian faith which totally puzzles me”.

Things could be worse. According to a statement by the FBI, there is bad news for all religions. During 2015, over 1,100 Americans were the victims of hate crimes because of their religious beliefs.

Let us unpack the three references in the beginning of this commentary.

A week or so ago the French National Assembly approved a plan to outlaw abortion information websites that, in the words of Laurence Rossignol, the Socialist minister who piloted the law, pretend to be neutral, official services with freephone helpline numbers but promote anti-abortion propaganda and pressure women into not terminating their pregnancies. The punishment is up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine.

Rossignol garbed her law in nice words. She said that everyone is free to be against abortion but “on condition of doing it in all honesty”. She who has no problem with the killing of unborn babies has scruples about honest communication! Incredible!

The Catholic Church did not buy the double speak of Rossignol. Archbishop Pontier said the legislation questions the very foundations of liberties in France.

“This seems to me to be a very serious attack on the principles of democracy,” he said.

Very rightly said, as when one takes away the gibberish from the double speak of Minister Rossignol one can reach a sole conclusion: in France you can be against abortion only if you water down your criticism in a way that you please Minister Rossignol and she gives you an imperial approving nod.

Pope Francis emphasised that all Catholics must get involved in politics even if it may be ‘dirty’, frustrating and fraught with failure

Within a few days of this statement and most probably without knowledge of what Archbishop Pontier had written to Hollande, Buttigieg said something in the same vein during a debate in Parliament. It is no longer fashionable to be pro-life, she said, and if you dare to be, you will be attacked personally.

Then, during the same debate in Parliament, her colleague Vassallo expressed a variation of the same tune. He said that today everyone can say whatever one wants about anything but if one is a Christian in politics one almost feels embarrassed to express one’s beliefs.

He is not the only one to feel that way; and not just in Malta. Ann Widdecombe, British novelist, politician and patron of the Hedgehog Protection Society, way back in 2011 pointedly said that if you are a hedgehog in the UK you stand a better chance of earnest representation than if you are a Christian. We have heard many stories of lions getting the better of Christians during the days of persecution by Roman emperors but to be outdone by hedgehogs is more than a trifle more humiliating, isn’t it?

Christians in Malta and overseas should not allow themselves be cowed into submission by this attitude that all animals in the public square are equal but if you are a Christian it is debatable whether or not you qualify to be an animal in the same public square.

Name calling should not deter anyone. Neither should one be deceived by the use of double-speak. The secularist lobby always hides the dumbing down of values they work for by the use of double-speak. They describe abortion as a reproductive right. Euthanasia, for them, is the par excellence practice of Christian mercy. Eugenics is referred to as an example of the triumph of human intelligence. The gender ideology is considered to be a gigantic step forward for humanity. So on and so forth.

Pope Francis calls their bluff, clearly labelling them as the champions of the throwaway culture which is inherently a dehumanising culture.

Fortunately, several MPs from both sides of Parliament showed they are ready to resist the throwaway culture. They are not succumbing to attempts to make them feel embarrassed because of their Christian beliefs. Only those who took a pro-life position deserve our support.

Catholic voters should look for the pro-life credentials of election candidates before voting. Pro-life means more than being against abortion and euthanasia. It means working for the dignity of all, migrants and refugees included. Pro-life is not just a contra-position to the culture of death. Pro-life includes taking stands for a more just society, an equitable distribution of wealth and an all-out war against corruption.

Pope Francis repeatedly praises the work of such holistically pro-life politicians. Last year, for example, during a meeting with members of Italy’s Christian Life Community and the Student Missionary League, he described politics as the highest form of charity. At the same time he warned against the temptation of giving in to corruption.

Such an active involvement for the bettering of the common good is not just the task of full-time politicians. It is the task of all Catholics.

During the same activity Pope Francis emphasised that all Catholics must get involved in politics even if it may be “dirty”, frustrating and fraught with failure.

“Do I as a Catholic watch from my balcony? No, you can’t watch from the balcony. Get right in there!”

More so during Advent, which is not just the season to be jolly, as the carol goes, but mostly the season to get involved.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt