A lot has been written about the demise of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. Some have emphasised the controversial bits of what he used to say or write. Others tried to downplay them.

Admirers were sorry that he had not been elected Pope believing that he would have been the best Pope ever. Detractors considered him to be an extremist; a sort of Judas in purple garments. Both positions have an element of a caricature. This is a real problem in this media-dominated world where things are portrayed as being on opposite poles in the belief that such a projection creates more drama and audience interest. In all this controversy, it is very possible that the message of the real Cardinal Martini will be lost.

Martini was a man of vision built upon his deep knowledge and immense love for the Word of God. As a consequence, he believed in an inclusive Church. He was ready to search for solutions outside the straitjacket of the man-made (in the two senses of the word, that is, human and male) ecclesiastic institutions that espouse a myopic outlook on the human condition.

Martini was courageous enough to seriously subscribe to the post-Vatican II belief that the Church does not have the answer to all questions. He strongly believed this and tirelessly strove to do something about it. For starters, he listened to what others – including non-believers or emarginated believers – had to say.

Many of similar positions in the Church publicly went through the motions of dialogue but deep down did not believe in it. Martini believed that dialogue meant opening oneself to the other, not just to the other’s ideas. People recognised this and consequently opened themselves to him.

Thanks to this encounter new ideas were discovered, better solutions found and new relationships built. He even managed to persuade the Brigate Rosse to surrender their weapons personally to him!

Martini did not believe the Church is a cabal controlled by an inner group whose task is to cower the rest into praying, paying and obeying. Those who harbour this position do not really love the Church which is Catholic (that is, universal). They risk reducing it into an irrelevant sect.

The Church does not exist for itself as if it were an institution mainly concerned with its self-perpetuation. The Church exists for the loving service of humanity. Martini consequently believed that this service is also manifested through the exercise of public opinion within and without the Church. For him the Church was an agora placed in the midst of the Areopagus of contemporary society. Martini was for a courageous and open Church. His ministry of love took the form of uttering from time to time positions which were not considered to be comfortable for those believing in a closed-up Church.

The Church, including the Church in Malta, should learn a lot from the legacy of Martini. His thoughts on IVF should enlighten the position of our pastors. His vision of the relationship between society and the Church should guide its Church strategy in a changing Malta. Like him, the local Church has to dialogue more with society instead of feeling threatened by developments and, thus, rendering itself obsolete.

In this, the local Church is its own worst enemy. Martini’s final comments about pompous rituals and clerical garb should provide good counsel to the new ordained priests whose celebrations of their first solemn Mass are a dangerous throwback to yesteryear, as many times is their overall mentality.