Apostolic Administrator Charles Scicluna agrees that the Catholic faith has become marginalised but insists this is “healthy” for society.
He was reacting to President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca’s Republic Day speech last week, in which she said the Catholic Church was “no longer central to our cultural activity”.
Mgr Scicluna described this as a “statement of fact”, as the Catholic faith was “no longer present in the island’s entire cultural, social and political spheres”.
If you have liberal views, then the Church is your main obstacle
“It has been pushed aside over the past few years. This does not mean it is no longer central in certain areas, but what we are seeing is a shift towards a secular society,” he said.
The President raised eyebrows when she urged society to “question secular processes and religious diversity”, pointing to the vast changes taking place in Maltese society.
Mgr Scicluna, however, yesterday also raised concerns over the “abrupt” English translation of the Maltese speech, which he said had drawn broad strokes over the nuances of the President’s original sentiments.
‘A shift towards a secular society’
He said he had heard Ms Coleiro Preca’s original version of the speech, which was not as “categorical” as the translated version handed to the press.
Ultimately, Mgr Scicluna acknowledged the perception held by some segments of society that the Church could be a barrier to social and political progress. He said while this was the public perception, it was not the Church’s mission.
If you want abortion, however, then the Catholic faith is going to be a barrier
“If you have liberal views, then the Church is your main obstacle. But the root of the Catholic ethos is respect for the individual’s dignity and this is the source of true progress,” he said.
This did not mean that the Church would be abandoning its position on issues to appeal to progressive sentiment.
“If you want abortion, however, then the Catholic faith is going to be a barrier; it depends if that is your idea of progress,” he said.