Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo bishop Mario Grech have urged reciprocal respect and love in speeches and judgements during the coming election campaign.

In a joint pastoral letter for Lent, being read this weekend at Masses, the bishops use mainly religious arguments. From reading this letter, it is not clear whether the bishops will issue another pastoral letter on the election itself or whether the rather limited mention they make of the coming election will be their only public pronouncement on the subject.

Diversity, the bishops say, is an important element in a democracy, but political maturity demands that the discussion concentrates more on arguments and points of view than on people. As much as our country, being so small, can gain if partisanship does not go to our head, in the same way we have much to lose if we persist in politicising everything.

In the hearts of many, they add, there is a genuine search for that which is true and beautiful. “In the experiences and faces of a good number of people we have met, we could see how much our people still expect from the Church”, said the bishops.

“We need a new evangelisation and a solid catechesis so that our faith will never become a superficial belief separated from our life-style, because if we do not grow in faith, even our own religion can be a distraction in our life.”