The decision by Archbishop Charles Scicluna to pass on a Church property, for free, to a philanthropic movement – the Hospice Movement in this case – is a right and holy step in the right direction. Times change for us all – individuals and institutions. The Church in Malta, in its widest sense, is the administrator if not the owner, of huge properties, which need a rethinking on the best use one can make of them.

These properties come from a time when the State was distant, if not totally absent from the real needs of the people, and the Church, in its widest sense, following the teaching of the Gospel, made various prophetic gestures in various areas all over the world.

History develops, and especially since World War II, various States, including ours, assumed their res­ponsibility and became more preoccupied with the real needs of the have-nots – who are always with us.

Through this gesture Mgr Scicluna pointed out the right direction to various Church institutions when they gather to discuss what better use one can make of these buildings that we have inherited.

Passing on such buildings to the business community should be considered out of the question – the receiving end should be a responsible NGO or the State.

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