In the past, God’s church more than once had to say no to reformers, and while it had been wounded, yes, it never collapsed. In Her time, very great empires had vanished one after another, but she remained battling against high tides. These strong currents had reached Malta, too, and have been eroding all the values that make this nation of ours different from others in Europe.
These attacks started to surface in the media by certain opinionists who enjoy the luxury of whole pages in our newspapers. Very recently one of these writers told us that the Catholic Church had flourished because of the people’s ignorance. In a program on the national TV station, which is paid by our taxes, a presenter had attacked the police for arresting the man who had impersonated the risen Jesus Christ in a Carnival parade.
He said that now we are in Europe, and the police cannot act like that. I, too, voted to be in European Union, but not to be free to offend anyone I like. I voted for Europe because I was told that there is a market of many millions for our products. I voted for Europe so that our democracy cannot be in danger again. What right should Europe give me to offend any, I repeat, any religion, whether Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and mine, the Cathalic religion? What right did tthe Danish media have when they offended the Muslim people with the caricatures of Mohammed? I believe in freedom of speech and other freedoms, but there must be a limit that nobody will be hurt by that freedom, a limit to safeguard the value of other people and above all a limit to safeguard the values of one’s country. I believe that a Nation without values is a Nation without a backbone. Look at Europe where it is heading.
Sometimes, Mr Editor, I see that your newspaper, and also your sister one, are very much concerned for the future of the Catholic church in our country. I wish to believe you, but honestly I cannot, when I read the three or four pages in your issue of the 8 April 2009 (‘Give unto God that which is Ceasar’s’), and a half of a page caricature of the cabinet dressed like a religious priests and nuns. I think that divorce will one day come, but I am sure that our country and you should not clap your hands. Divorce will not cure the disease but only enlarge it. The disease will be cured when the liberal licence that is creeping into our society will stop.
Maybe this letter is full of mistakes, because I am not an authority to speak about these things, and let me be clear that I am not a Saint, but a human with many religious defects. Because of this I pray to God to change me into a good Catholic, but never to change His church to accommodate me. It is His church, and He does know what He is doing. When he established His church, He had only 12 followers, and out of these, two betrayed him: Judas and Peter. We all know how these two finished.
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