The government’s efforts to make sure that Malta looks prim and proper for the Pope’s visit next weekend have surpassed the shenanigans that have become customary before any important visitor steps onto Maltese soil.
At this time of the year, it is normal for many to do some extraordinary cleaning up and sprucing up appearances at home, in time for the annual visit of the parish priest to bless their house. Repeating the trick on a national scale for the Pope’s visit should therefore come naturally.
I thought we’ve had it all before. I never agreed with those who moan that the government thinks a visitor is more important than those who permanently live in Malta, although I appreciate the sense of humour behind petitions asking for the visitor to pass through particular roads not for the sake of the visitor but for the sake of the road and whoever usually uses it! I used to consider it a good thing because the visitor would come for a few days – if not hours – and the improvements in the roads and their surroundings would last much more to everybody’s benefit.
This time, somehow, I sense the idea has gone somewhat overboard with a particular attention to cosmetics, even if these were to wear out by the time the Pope leaves Malta’s shores. I do not share the same preoccupation assailing the two unknown road engineers who were reported – in a recent newspaper story – as being ‘worried’ because some roads are only being resurfaced rather than rebuilt. Even though from a technical point of view this might not be indicated as the correct way to go about it, the effort is economically justified because it is a cheap temporary solution to a big problem. In my way of looking at things, no one throws away a sock because of a hole that can be mended. Postponing buying a new pair of socks should only worry shopkeepers eager for more business.
The point is, however, that on this occasion I feel too much emphasis is being made on appearances – or rather, on making them up. It is not just resurfacing roads and sprucing up traffic islands; rather it is the stupid attention to detail that not even the Pope will have time to see. Like painting the lamp post bases in Pieta’ and lowering down boundary walls in Gudja when these have been in place for donkey’s years and (ab)using MEPA’s enforcement powers to attempt do so since these boundary walls are private property! In another case that I was told about but could not verify – and hence is just ‘detto del detto’ – holes and other aberrations in metal lamp posts were taped over and then painted! Worrying about resurfacing roads is nothing compared to pondering on how these ideas cross people’s minds.
At this moment in the history of the Catholic Church, the Pope is in no mood to be ‘scandalised’ with lack of maintenance in Maltese roads and electricity poles. Who knows what will be crossing his mind as he looks at the made up appearance, the veneer of the trappings that hide the unsightliness that everybody knows about! I can hardly avoid the temptation of drawing a nasty parallel: it is the same with the Church that he leads and with the Maltese flock that he would be visiting!
Behind the beautiful rites and the beauty of the artisanship of the sacred vestments worn by the Church’s hierarchy during its celebrations, and the more simple attire donned by altar boys, an ogre of incredible proportions lay secretly hidden for so many years. And now the Church has to face the music, as it were. That celibate priests were not asexual was certainly not an unknown fact – in Malta we idiomatically refer to a red-haired child who does not resemble his siblings as ‘tal-kapillan’ – sired by the Parish Priest! But nobody ever imagined the magnitude of the secret abuse of children and secret homosexual relationships on the part of so many members of the clergy in all the developed countries of the world.
I am not one who mistakenly thinks that paedophilia and homosexuality are the same thing. Nor do I believe that celibacy drives people to that kind of behaviour. In fact, I think it is the other way round. The problem with celibacy, in my opinion, is that people with those tendencies would tend to be attracted to the priesthood as, in many societies, celibacy serves as a good cover-up for these sexual preferences.
The Maltese Church has had its share of sexual abuse; which goes on to show that in the end there are no significant differences between us and other people of the same faith and culture. One hopes that the Pope is not misled into thinking otherwise.
Like other European people, the Maltese have moved away from the actual faith that is embraced by the Church of which they are members. It could well be that this has happened later than in other countries but the truth is that Maltese Catholicism has become an exercise in appearances – below the veneer there is no substance. Most Maltese do not feel they are doing anything wrong when they cheat to obtain social services for which they are not entitled, when they cheat by skiving work, or when they ‘sell’ their vote to the candidate who helps them get what they want, more so if they do not have a right for it. This is part of everyday Maltese life and the local Church has closed an eye on these immoral stances.
More often than not, the Church comes across as if it satisfied with the veneer covering up the ugly facet of the Maltese character, without even attempting to see clearly through the clouds of feasts and fireworks.
The large majority of Maltese are Catholic by culture rather than by faith. They act in their own best selfish interests not as a result of some sane moral motivation. Applauding the Pope, going to Church and taking part in the sacraments help to cover up their real feelings towards their neighbours; as more often than not, they despise and envy their neighbours more than they respect and love them.
So the hierarchy of the Maltese Church covers up its problems while the lay members of the Church cover up their lack of faith and moral commitment.
No surprise, therefore, that the Maltese state covers up it shortcomings by painting the traffic island red for the sake of the visiting Pope, who must be led to believe that all is prim and proper on the isle of St Paul.
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