There will be those who insist, wrongly, I think, that I am not in a position to comment on matters Catholic since I no longer practise the religion. On the other hand, my having been baptised, albeit at an age when I could hardly decide on the impending issue, as well as my modest theological studies qualify me somewhat.

As both a journalist and a social commentator, religion has always featured prominently in my work, not necessarily to pervade obsolete traditions and customs but to encourage – and be encouraged by them in return – progressive ideas that show how religion can adapt to new environments, challenges and perceptions rather than stagnating in a corner of ancient history.

It is why I have always been an outspoken supporter of the idea to introduce women priests, to finally do away with celibacy and to introduce at least a semblance of democracy when it comes to appointing Church leaders, including cardinals, bishops and other “princes” and, hopefully one day, “princesses”.

I know there are many like me out there who have felt the Church they were brusquely introduced to from the mother’s womb no longer seemed relevant or in sync with their ideals. My own experience had the bitter politico-religious dispute of the Sixties as its trigger, a time when as a sometimes bemused, sometimes disturbed child, I watched parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins and friends going through social turmoil and a veritable nightmare that left their generations, and mine, with indelible scars and slow-healing psychological wounds.

All that, of course, is not water under the bridge; it has actually flowed off the very planet. Both the Church and Malta have, over the decades, been through multiple changes and there is no going back for both of them. That does not mean that there have not been those who, deep from within, have not tried to turn back the clock. On the local front, we have seen bishops under siege from time-honoured traditionalists in their dark corridors of power, while today we witness the phenomenon of several young ones frustratingly trying to drag the Malta diocese back into the Middle Ages with their predilection for such trivial things as basilicas, archpriests and other glorifying titles

This contrasts sharply and incredibly with what is happening at the Vatican where, at last, there is a Pope who is not afraid to change things for the better (there were too many before him who “infallibly” changed things for the worse, alas), even if it means irking those who, for their own political and personal ends, cannot accept a Church that is willing to shed its triumphant attitude by way of going back to its roots, in other words, to poverty and minimalism.

While the mystery surrounding the sudden passing away (just 33 days after he was elected) of Papa Luciani – John Paul I – has never really faded away, it is with a huge relief that most people, Catholic or not, watch the present Pope, Francesco, bravely removing the gold and silver cobwebs and reaching out to people of all religious and non-religious inclinations, including Jews, Muslims, Lutherans, Anglicans, non-believers and what have you, while insisting on inter-faith dialogue rather than on supremacy by Twitter numbers and hit-parade popularity.

One can only give the thumbs-up to Francesco who, throughout his public life, has been noted for his humility and his concern for the poor. His humble approach to the papacy, such as being much less formal than his predecessors, like when he chose to reside in a Vatican guesthouse rather than the Apostolic Palace, has won him the sincere admiration of even the harshest of Church critics.

Kind but cautious

While Malta waits to know exactly how many of the Syrian and other refugees it will take as part of the European Union’s desperate official list, it would be wise to be both kind and cautious in this whole process. Only last Tuesday, European politicians expressed concerns that Islamic State militants could be infiltrating EU borders under the guise of refugees, at least according to Hungarian media reports, though Hungary is not exactly the country most trusted or amiable where immigrants are concerned.

The reports claimed that two ISIS militants were uncovered after entering an unspecified European country, believed to be Germany, as refugees. Their identification was made possible after the two revealed their identities by posting pictures on social media, later featured on a Hungarian TV channel.

Big Bro watching more than ever?

I don’t think anyone of us can do anything about it really, but like it or not we are all being watched, monitored, scrutinised and followed by governments, agencies, global corporations, multi-national companies, advertisers, authorities... you name them, they’re there. It is the price we have to pay for the information overload that we now enjoy and the free electronic access via PCs, iPads, smartphones and other devices to almost every inch of this shrinking globe.

Yeah, if you don’t do anything wrong and don’t have anything to hide, why worry is the immediate retort to one’s expression of concern. Even mentioning Orwell’s “1984” has become an overused cliché’ and privacy has become, almost overnight, a privilege of the past.

The noose, however, continues to tighten round the citizen’s neck. Microsoft’s new Windows 10, for example, while already immensely popular (they had 14 million downloads in just the first two days) and described as “amazing”, “glorious” and “fantastic”, has very intrusive default settings that are difficult to change.

Technical bloggers have been warning us since then that the operating system’s privacy settings are invasive by default, and changing them involves more than a dozen different screens and an external website. Many have in fact been surprised by the far-reaching data collection that Microsoft seems to want from its Windows 10 users. All available information about you, your location history, text messages and any information you share via them, personal contacts and calendar notes about your plans for exact dates, among other things, is automatically obtained when using Windows 10.

However, all is not lost. There are a number of steps you can take to protect your privacy. It’s an intentionally long and tedious process, but do it if you still have some self-respect.