Most Maltese, politicians and Presidents included, constantly brag about Malta being the bastion of Catholicism in Europe.
We have been witness to our President greeting the Pope with a speech which would have been more appropriate coming from the Pope himself rather than from the President of a so-called secular country.
We are proud of our position as the shining Beacon of Catholicism within the EU, we are told.
To prove this, just in case some of us try to forget this glittering status, we are constantly inundated by letters in newspapers, quoting the bible, and telling us how we Maltese, Catholics and non-Catholic alike, ought to live.
We are greeted with hysteria and calls to display crucifixes in windows when a court decides that a crucifix should be removed from a school in Italy.
Divorce is a destroyer of families, they say, and they tell us that we must fight to ensure that Malta remains one of the two countries on the whole planet where divorce is unattainable, except for those who afford going abroad to obtain it of course.
Families are there to be strengthened, they say, and no, the multitude of gentlemen's clubs sprouting up everywhere are definitely not a threat to Malta's Catholic values or families in general. Now, Malta Catolicissima, the defender of the faith, has once again showed everyone that to safeguard its values, it has no fear of standing alone against the hordes of European secularist barbarians.
Yes folks, we have once again found new fame. This time, as the only country within the EU opposing the same EU's attempt to regularise online gambling.
Of course, I guess that rampant gambling does not harm Malta's Catholic values, as online gambling customers are foreign, Godless, secular barbarians, so no harm done there.
Of course, we do know that gambling does affect some Maltese families, but since the government has only raked in €66 million from Maltese gamblers over the past six years, the lecturers of doctrine and saintly living, groups which at times feature our enlightened politicians, deem it as not important. Indeed, it is something to brag about, and the figure is read out by gloating politicians. So, they prefer to harp on about more important threats to our Catholic values, threats such as condom machines in universities and censoring students.
Is it just me, or is this all so confusing?