Simplicity is the key to success. The Catholic Church in Malta needs more than a change in style. Last year’s experience in the divorce debate has simply demonstrated that the Church needs renewal in its structures and practices in order to strengthen her strong message of respect, responsibility and solidarity in a Maltese society that is going through big changes.

They conveyed the message of the Bible but, at the same time, they were relevant to today’s complex realities...- Stefan Gauci Scicluna

What we are experiencing today in Malta is something that had already been happening 20 or 30 years ago in several Western European countries. What the Catholic Church here has to do is to learn and avoid the mistakes of others. The time is now!

The last pastoral letter by the Bishops is the clear realisation that the Church should raise its game in face of stiff competition. The Church authorities cannot remain complacent and accept the status quo. Organisations are living organisms and, although the objective might remain the same, the existing resources and priorities should be changed in order to respond to new circumstances.

Starting from style. I had a number of experiences in attending Catholic Church activities in Northern Europe. What they had in common was their strong and effective message related to legal, social, cultural, economic, spiritual and religious issues. Their message was about the poor, the divorced, the separated, those with psychological challenges and so on and so forth. They conveyed the message of the Bible but, at the same time, they were relevant to today’s complex realities, whereby societies are becoming more multi-cultural and more demanding on the middle and lower classes.

Their focus was not on the “physical” patron statues. They celebrated such events in a truly communal spirit. On the other hand, energies were spent more on bringing those Catholics who were willing to help the poor and the deprived.

All this did not come at the expense of high quality in their message and style. These Churches also managed to attract highly-educated people because they talked their language too.

The Maltese Catholic Church should aim for the same standards, taking into consideration that such evolution takes time but it can be achieved only if there is a vision and a managerial strategy that is built on societal and individual realities.

Change creates resistance and, in the Maltese case, the Church authorities cannot expect less than such harsh resistance from several actors who have been used to the same practices for decades. However, the Church authorities should overcome the fear of talking and should start emphasising more on doing things more professionally.

No individual is bigger than a whole organism. In my opinion, the Church should strengthen more the regional level. The local level seems to be too strong and if the Church is really aiming for renewal and, therefore, for a more professional service to its followers, then economies of scope and scale are of utmost importance.

At the level of mass celebrations, these should be organised more rationally in terms of timing, mainly for simplicity and clarity reasons.

Although the Church’s website has been improved significantly in terms of information to the public, I think the main challenge remains organisational. The leaders of the Church should have the courage and make the necessary changes in order to reach those people who prefer to remain local but also to those who are more mobile and search for their preferred mass celebration style and community.

In terms of resources utilisation and coordination, it is about time that the leaders of the Church would take the bull by its horns. Churches at the local level have lots of underutilised resources. And if the Church really wants to become more relevant, then this is an area of great potential. These resources should be promoted more and in a more managerial manner.

Apart from these elements, there is also the issue of priests who should be assisted more in their role as spiritual leaders of their followers.

As already stated, no individual is bigger than a system. And the leaders of the Church should make sure that regional and national structures would be put in place in order to have a more communal element among its spiritual and religious leaders. In my opinion, a better sense of community would translate into more forward-looking and convinced priests in their missionary vocation.

The relationship between the priest and the Catholic volunteer should be defined more clearly. If such relationship remains blurred, then uncertainty would prevail. The Church in Malta can attract and sustain different types of people with different educational levels only if it reduces such uncertainty.

Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, has been quoted stating that, today, we are facing a revolution not in the streets but in the choices that we have to do in political, economic, social and cultural terms.

The Catholic Church in Malta has the responsibility to remain relevant in face of local and international changes. Otherwise, one of the main anchors of this small society would be lost. And that is not what most people want.

These are among the challenges that the Church in Malta will be facing more in the years to come. The product and the message exist. The promotional pillar has improved too. The distributional channels are also in existence. But significant managerial, technical, human and financial investments are needed in order to make the necessary structural but painful changes within the Church.

Style is just the beginning. Simplicity is the ultimate objective.

The author is a lecturer at the University of Malta.