In the Times of Malta of December 27, 2016, Kurt Sansone reported that Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo was lamenting that Christian politicians are being ostracised in the two major political parties. Sansone quoted him as saying “if Christians try to find a home in the Labour Party or the Nationalist Party, they could easily be left without a house”.
Sansone remarked that during the past 13 years censorship relaxation and the introduction of many laws had totally changed Malta’s values, commenting that today’s Malta is unrecognisable from the country called “Cattolicissima” by Pope St John Paul II.
There is no doubt that the values of the Maltese have changed dramatically during the past decade or two. Like Vassallo, I too have the impression that both the Nationalist and Labour parties have departed somewhat from their original credos and become closer to two liberal parties vying for power rather than two parties seeking to bring about holistic growth in the country.
The sole mention of “Christian values” frightens some as they see in it the end of the separation between Church and State. Rightly, they do not want the Church to dictate religious obligations on civil society, a sort of Sharia law.
However, we need to distinguish between ‘religion’ and ‘Christian values’. Religion deals with our relationship with God according to the way in which we believe in Him. Religion demands faith and implies adoration and ritual.
Values are what we believe we need to live in order to respect our humanity. At least intellectually, we all cherish human values, even if we may differ in whether a particular behaviour is a human value or not. Theologian Karl Rahner talked about “anonymous Christians”, referring to those who for some reason do not have explicit faith in Christ but who live Christ’s values.
If people cherish their Christian or human values they should make themselves heard
Sansone’s list of new laws, which he feels have distanced Malta from Catholicism, are all concerned with sexuality: lap-dancing, civil unions of gay couples and divorce. However, the list of Christian values is much longer.
In reaction to the abovementioned article, a reader, Henry Pace, commented: “Labour never had Christian moral values”; To which another reader, Joe Owens Hunter, replied: “…who introduced children’s allowances, social housing, rights and obligations, free schools, sick leave, pensions?”
There are different sets of Christian values. Unfortunately, there is also the tendency to emphasise one set of values and ignore other sets. The Republicans in the US are against abortion but do not seem to care much for the poor, while the Democrats have no qualms with abortion but do care about the more helpless citizens. If I were a US citizen I would have some difficulty to choose a party to vote for or, to put it in Vassallo’s words: “I would find it difficult to find a home in any of the two parties.”
I also understand the dilemma of Vassallo and government whip Godfrey Farrugia when they find the party’s demands in conflict with their conscience. They could leave the party but would not that make it easier for the party to carry on with its non-human agenda?
Neither do I believe a Christian Party is the solution. After all, Christians, being human, sometimes fail to live their Christian values and then, theirs is a counter-witness. More importantly, I believe many politicians of both parties – especially if they domesticate their greed for power – still cherish, at least, “anonymous Christian values”.
Moreover, I believe politicians like Vassallo and Farrugia can be helped both by the Church and by people. If people really cherish their Christian or truly human values – I do not distinguish between the two because I continue to believe that only Christ can tell us what is truly human – they should make themselves heard. If politicians do not care it is because people do not care.
Finally, the Church should proclaim Christian values as human values, not as religious values. This is how Christ did it. Farrugia was right when he said embryos should be saved because his and everyone’s life started as an embryo, not simply because the Church says so.
ajsmicallef@gmail.com
Fr Alfred Micallef is a member of the Society of Jesus.