Attendance to Mass, especially among youths, is nosediving. Is the Christian faith in danger of dying?
Youths believe something, commit to an ideal, and are moved to act only when they are fully convinced. We see this happening when they lead the way on environmental issues.
It’s the same with faith. Youths will only trust the Christian faith and feel they belong in the Church when they are convinced of its authenticity – and in this regard we all have a duty as part of the ‘Church’.
Declining Mass numbers per se are not indicative of the level of faith, spirituality and commitment of youths today. Mass attendance is definitely important but it is only one criterion on which to gauge faith among youths.
One should distinguish between believing and belonging. Many Maltese youths still embrace human and religious values, such as the existence of God, the value and dignity of human life, Christian marriage, tolerance, a sense of justice, seeking meaning and cherishing the spiritual dimension of the human experience.
The challenge is how to transform the individualistic dimension of faith into the value of belonging to a living community of faith. Unless faith is understood as trust, it risks marginalisation. Faith is, above all, a lifestyle. The future of the Christian faith is not tied to individualistic views, as some would think.
The more multi-ethnic Malta becomes, the more we need acceptance, tolerance and mutual respect. These values do not spring out of nowhere. Faith embraces culture. Although faith is reliable irrespective of it being demonstrated, living up to one’s faith and convictions makes it credible.
What is imperative today is a faith that is explored, questioned and put into practice. This is what youths normally do – they question their faith seriously, return to it, or strive to deepen and integrate it with the rest of their life. What is missing are the catalysts of faith who can inspire younger generations to be able to trust and to come to terms with themselves and God.
Despite children attending religion lessons in schools and pre-Holy Communion catechism, and a large proportion attending Church schools, is the Church missing the opportunity to ‘catch them while they are young’? Does the religious formation of children need a radical reform?
The Church must definitely overhaul its religious formation. Formation that leads to faith merely on the level of rational enquiry is very limiting. Religion lessons in schools are about the study of religion; they are not a lived experience. Catechism should be different. It is meant to accompany and mentor the journey of faith. The humus of catechism is not the class but the living community of faith that accompanies the person. And I think this is where we are failing.
A question to be asked is whether we have vibrant Christian communities in our Church structures. If adolescents fail to attend catechism classes, are unimpressed or opt out of Sunday Mass, we should ask why. A proper strategy needs to be implemented to invest in building true Christian communities living and incarnating the Gospel worldview.
I would suggest three ideas. First, we need to motivate them to understand why a personal friendship with Jesus matters. We need to make room for imagination, particularly to relate faith to personal talents and experiences.
Secondly, religious formation should be seen in terms of giving space to God’s reign among us, for example through commitment to social justice and building a better future for our common home. Most young people love to reach out to the sick, the poor or the environment.
The Church must definitely overhaul its religious formation
Thirdly, we could do more to combine faith formation and liturgy. This might lead to practical results concerning attitudes and values.
Certain Catholic youth movements, such as the MUSEUM and the Youth Fellowship, are flourishing. Religious courses for adults run by the MSSP are well attended. What are they doing right?
The MUSEUM, the MSSP Oratory and other groups, movements and religious – and there are many – are spaces where there is a vibrant, living community of faith formed in faith through catechetical formation, intellectual knowledge of the faith, and which then provides the experiential dimension.
This is clear evidence that faith is still alive. Youths yearn for truth and authenticity. They flock together where their needs, dreams and aspirations are addressed meaningfully and persuasively. If we want to speak of hope in the Church, we should talk about the special ingredients that work wonders: persuasion, joy and belonging.
By persuasion, I mean committed Christians who seek to live their faith as best as they can. Faith matters to their life and they give hope to others. As Pope Francis says, Christian faith needs to be characterised by a joy that is felt and transmitted.
Priestly vocations are plummeting. Does the Church need to abandon priestly celibacy and allow women to become priests in order for the faith to survive?
If there is a dwindling sense of belonging to the Church, then we cannot expect otherwise! If we wish to have more vocations, then we need people who encounter the Risen Christ personally in a vibrant, living Christian community of faith, who would then be ready to believe in the beauty of the Christian ideal and lead with a generous heart.
To foster the faith, our discourse should not necessarily be on women priests and celibacy, but rather on our readiness and decision to risk leaving behind everything to follow the Lord. This is only possible if there is a real encounter with the Risen Lord. Christian families play a part in helping young people to discern their vocation and to steer their life in the right direction.
Have the clerical sex abuse scandals further undermined the Church’s authority and credibility? Or could they ironically lead to a stronger Church?
It pains me to talk about these scandals because it is really unfair to blame the Church, that is, the community of believers, without considering the commitment to the faith and the good work the Church does. Those in authority should be held responsible and accountable for wrong decisions. They should be pushing for greater accountability.
The emerging Church needs to mature, to have well-formed priests who understand their vocation not in terms of power, privilege and authority, but as a service that promotes the gifts and discipleship of the whole people of God.
Clericalism is said to be the root cause. But clericalism is not about being a priest but about seeking power within Church structures. And power begets abuse and arrogance. And it is not just priests who are in danger of falling into a culture of clericalism but also pastoral ministers and female religious.
It is important to have in the Church’s structures a more organised and empowered active collaboration with formed lay people co-responsible in the formation and leadership of the Church as well as in ecclesial ministry. All this may paradoxically help the Church prepare its candidates to become good preachers, prepared leaders of worship, collaborative leaders, public representatives of the Church and practitioners of pastoral charity.
Maltese society displays the characteristics of ‘amoral familism’, namely a self-interested, family-centric society prepared to sacrifice principles such as integrity, good governance and the public good for one’s family’s interests and political tribalism. Is this partly a failure of the Church to inculcate true moral fibre, values and principles in the faithful?
I would certainly not blame directly the Church for a weakening of society’s general moral fibre or morality in general. I would, however, say that the Church can do more to strengthen the human values of honesty, trustworthiness, solidarity and justice.
We should not remain silent in the face of domestic violence or bullying at any age. Civil and Church authorities should not act as if there is nothing wrong with stealing, character assassination, corruption, fake news, tax evasion, environmental degradation and taking false oaths in court. We need leaders who have the inner strength to stand up for what they believe is right, even in face of adversity.
Whereas the Maltese have a reputation for being a hospitable people, today so many seem to be xenophobic, racist or unconcerned with the drowning of immigrants in the seas around us. Is this another sign of failure of Malta’s Christian faith?
The Church has nothing to do with xenophobia or racism that are unfortunately subtly eroding our civil and moral fibre. But yes, we should ask how it is possible that xenophobia and racism exist in a traditionally Catholic country. Something, somewhere went wrong.
The Church is committed to fight against stigmatisation of foreigners, but it certainly can do more to raise its awareness campaign. How can we ignore Pope Francis’ appeal to foster a couture of tolerance, inclusion and encounter?
I can think of two ways how these can be overcome – political action and community engagement. What is most needed in society is respect, particularly when people are visibly different in terms of language, customs and lifestyle.
The recent reform of the IVF law, which gave the green light to the freezing of embryos, was seen by many as a precursor to the introduction of abortion in Malta. Is the Church in Malta losing the argument against its legalisation?
The Church is the main institution that manifests its constant effort to promote a culture of life and to protect human life at every stage of its development. During the public debate on embryo freezing, the Church did not mince words to indicate that this medical practice will lead to the gradual erosion of respect for a human being from the very first moment of fertilisation or conception.
A caring society defends those who are voiceless and vulnerable. The destruction of the human embryo and the termination of vulnerable people by euthanasia or assisted suicide is a sign of degradation, not progress. The Church cannot shirk its responsibility in this matter.
The Church’s message today is one of many divergent ones in a cacophony of mainstream and social media. What, if anything, can it do better to get its message across to different audiences?
The Church needs to think outside the box. It should go to the peripheries and if it cannot go that far, it should at least make it to the public square. It should offer discussion, not ready-made answers. There is no reason to fear pushing boundaries to ensure the Church is able to have a conversation with the contemporary world.
While certain issues are considered as hot potatoes I always keep in mind what the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur held, that Christians should always be prepared to talk to two audiences, believers or not, to whom they should convey something meaningful.
How many of the Faculty of Theology’s students are preparing for the priesthood and how many are lay people?
The Church needs to think outside the box
We have 154 students, of whom 10 per cent are preparing themselves for priestly ministry. This year four will become priests on April 27 at St John’s Co-Cathedral.
In general, three-fourths of our students are following a postgraduate degree, mainly in bioethics, spirituality/spiritual companionship, matrimonial canon law, youth ministry, Catholic school leadership and theology/religious studies. Morning students specialise in philosophical studies, theology and pastoral psychology.
What changes would you like to introduce as Dean of your faculty? Is the faculty planning any new courses or other initiatives?
I would like to see a versatile faculty re-connecting with various pastoral or social entities, re-proposing spiritual well-being and re-configuring spirituality in leadership and business.
We are working on two new courses. In the coming days, we will launch a new MA in Environmental Ethics. The programme will identify and analyse the deeply human philosophical, ethical and political underpinnings of the current state of cultural, biological and ecological degradation, as well as of the human potential for creating and safeguarding sustainable human ecologies for the benefit of both present and future generations.
Secondly, we are finalising the Certificate in Safeguarding of Children and Young People, which will promote best practice and equip people engaged in pastoral ministry and other work with children and young people with the abilities and skills needed to safeguard them.
The abuse of children and young people needs to be confronted and tackled on many levels, particularly through education and training in safeguarding of all those involved in pastoral care, education, social work, voluntary work, healthcare, sports and other recreational activities.
Does the faculty have a wider role in Maltese society?
Absolutely. In July, it will hold a strategic planning session on how to have a wider role in Maltese society. We want to explore how we can connect with various institutions. To read and respond to the signs of the times, as a faculty we want to arm our people with the culture of dialogue as well as play an active role in the creation of an integrated and reconciled society.
The faculty is engaged in public consultancy on various legislation and policies, particularly through position papers written with other academics. We intend to continue this good practice. And we will continue to reach out and respond to the needs of the community through a multidisciplinary approach in line with the vision of the University of Malta.