The two new faces of the Maltese Catholic Church on Monday publicly called on the European Union to express solidarity with Malta on the issue of irregular migration in a “tangible way”.

Bravo indeed. Archbishop Pawl Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mgr Mario Grech deserve recognition for using the media to try and secure a better deal for Malta, but also to prevent loss of life. Let us leave the issues they highlighted for discussion further on.

The bishops deserve a good pat on the back for what they did, and this is not meant in a sarcastic manner at all.

This is the second time they have done so; rather than keep mum and sit and mull on the problem (and let’s face it, it is a huge one) in the comfort of the padded chairs of the Curia, the two of them decided to issue a joint statement to call on the EU to provide more assistance to Malta. But this is not all they did; they also urged the authorities to do all they could to prevent loss of life, even in the event of migrants being found in difficulty outside Malta’s search and rescue area.

Kudos to both of them. The two bishops have always stated that they will do their best to harness all means of communication to get their message across and they have done exactly that.

Their action on Monday showed that when it comes to issues of national importance, the Catholic Church in Malta is up to date, concerned, and has a position which it is not afraid to express.

This is indeed positive. Not only will it be a boost when Malta’s politicians lobby for more help from the EU to tackle the problem, but it also shows the public that the two leaders of the flock are active and will continue to be.

On to the issues they highlighted. They said that the recent events in the Mediterranean saddened all those who valued life and that the issue was a human and political problem that was linked, but cannot be mixed. They said that the international community, and especially the EU should express its solidarity, first and foremost with the migrants who found themselves in danger while crossing the Mediterranean Sea in search of a new life and secondly with the Maltese people due to the enormous problems they face because of this phenomenon.

But the bishops were also wise. They did not simply go for shortsighted lobbying. “Even in cases where the search and rescue responsibilities lay with others, Malta should do its best to prevent loss of life,” they said.

There is not much else one can say, but to give the bishops a big prosit for having the nerve to comment in a public manner on their views on a hot potato. One hopes that the bishops will continue to comment on such matters, even others which are sometimes taboo, such as the homeless, drug abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, usury and loan sharks among others. Both men said they wanted to bring the Church closer to the people. On this evidence, we surmise that their endeavours are bearing fruit.