Today’s papers were graced with the photos of His Grace Bishop Charles Scicluna bird watching. Just for clarity’s sake I hastily add that he was watching the kind of birds the adherents of Birdlife watch. The accompanying words uttered by His Grace will certainly not endear him with that minority among the hunters’ community which still believes that Neanderthals should rule supreme.
Truth be told, Mgr Scicluna is not known for rushing around uttering only those words which endear him with whoever others even stoop to be endeared with. The era of episcopal Sibylline utterings fortunately seems to be over.
Let me take as an example a recent blog of his published on Newsbook about another controversial subject: the Armier illegal shantytown.
Bishop Scicluna was commenting on beautiful and not-at-all-beautiful monuments commemorating our Independence anniversary. The following is what he said about Armier.
“There are other monuments that we constructed and about which we should reflect. As an example I refer to a group of illegal boathouses at Armier. They are a monument to the inability of our politicians to take a leadership role showing what a having a civic sense implies instead of just looking after your interests or those of your political party.”
These words take added value as they were written hot on the heels of Government’s decision to reward those who stole public land. Government’s gift took the form of the bequeathing of the smart meter. This official legitimation of an illegality did not bring about the negative reaction that one should expect in a land that respects legality. However the Church’s Interdiocesan Commission for the Environment did take an official stand in line with the position they had taken in 2008: it is not acceptable to occupy public land without any legitimate title. The statement was not given the coverage it deserved.
The Commission is correct to note that the legitimisation of this illegality through the giving of the smart meter is a big insult to every honest and law abiding citizen in this country. Most people work hard for a living and pay taxes only to discover that someone else stole public property and is happily enjoying its use with the full blessing of the Government. Shame.
The statement of the Church Commission has a word of warning for the Church as well. They say that the “Church should not take any initiative or offer services that in anyway could be interpreted that the Church is approving this illegality.” What kind of services had they in mind? Is the celebration of the Mass in this area of collective illegality a service that the Commission refers to?
It would be enlightening if some journalist would ask the Commission for more clarifications.