“The appointment of Mgr Charles Scicluna as the new Archbishop of Malta is very good news for the Maltese Islands”. These are the words of Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, posted on 2 March in the Catholic Herald. Alexander Lucie-Smith is a Catholic priest, doctor of moral theology and consulting editor of The Catholic Herald.
It is good to see some positive words in foreign media, about Malta or the Maltese, for a change.
Very often, and not just in Malta – it happens frequently in Italy too – a prophet is not welcome in his own home – or, more rightly, is not as esteemed or appreciated as he or she ought to be. For example, it took us a while to realise the international acclaimthat was being bestowed on Joseph Calleja. Similarly, when Mgr Charles Scicluna was given an appointment in Malta as auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Malta, there was some impression that maybe it was a way to remove him from the corridors of the Vatican. In fact, it must have been with some humility and obedience to His Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI that on 6 October 2012, MgrScicluna took up his post on our island. The Vatican announcement described him as "highly respected among his peers around the world for his lecturing skills and his expertise in child protection issues". In an interview on the eve of his departure from Rome, Scicluna said the move was a promotion and not a manifestation of departmental rivalries within the Vatican.
During recent time, he has helped to steady the boat and steer it gently through rather rough times.
When Mgr. Paul Cremona stepped down as Archbishop of Malta, it must have been as uncertain a period for Scicluna as it was for Malta and for its congregation. But through the grace of God, he is now entrusted with the leadership of the church in Malta and has the confidence of many of the clergy from all hierarchy.
Already we are enthusiastically seeking interviews with Scicluna to get a sense of what direction his pastoral and evangelical leadership will take. The task ahead is clearly formidable but graciously for him, the teachings of Christ and the Church are at hand and the faithful today, as in past centuries, thirst for the Word of God. It is all there before us if we could only keep things simple, as Jesus did in the sermon on The Mount (Mt. 5:3 – 48).
What may have confused the congregation more than anything are the inconsistent and mixed messages from the Church. At the time of the Divorce referendum, it was not so much a question of whether Christians could vote in favour or not, but rather, that one priest said one thing and the next said another thing. The result being that people stepped away from the Church as a source of information or direction and decided subjectively. This is not meant to criticise or judge the choice made by the people, but to focus on where the problem lay in the debate.
The Church in Malta seriously needs to get together again and speak with one voice and share the same faith and trust in its spiritual leader. At present there is fraction and disharmony and superficial issues arise which then hide the true problem. The mundane work of running a parish and a congregation becomes heavy and isolationist. It is important therefore, that parish priests and the clergy are relieved from assuming certain decisions themselves and individually and that matters of religion and spiritual guidance, when these depart from the sphere of what is already doctrine, are referred to competent authorities within the hierarchy of the Church.
Scicluna has said that he feels he should meet people and listen to their story. Jethro may have a word of advice for him here:
“On the following day, Moses took his seat to administer justice for the people, and the people were standing round him from morning till evening. Seeing all he did for the people, Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘Why do you do this for the people, why sit here alone with the people standing round you from morning till evening?’ Moses replied to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to consult God. When they have a problem they come to me, and I give a ruling between the one and the other and make God’s statutes and laws known to them.’ Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, ‘What you do is not right. You will only tire yourself out, and the people with you too, for the work is too heavy for you. You cannot do it all yourself. Now listen to the advice I am going to give you, and God be with you! Your task is to represent the people to God, to lay their cases before God, and to teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way they ought to follow and how they ought to behave. At the same time, from the people at large choose capable and God-fearing men, men who are trustworthy and incorruptible, and put them in charge of them as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens and make them the people’s permanent judges. They will refer all important matters to you, but all minor matters they will decide themselves, so making things easier for you by sharing the burden with you. If you decide to do this – and may God so command you – you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied. ‘
Moses took his father-in-law’s advice and did just as he said.” - Exodus 18: 13 – 24.
In matters of tradition, such as the festive celebration of the parish patron saint – our Festas – we augur that this contentious issue can be resolved peacefully and justly. Too many priests are being caught up in the problems surrounding the Festa, to the detriment of their pastoral duties and their parishioners.
I dread Summer, not only for the heat or mosquitos and other insects, but for the 5 weeks of fireworks and festi. Where I live, there are at least 5 Festas within range, with 3 of those using the same launch for letting off the fireworks. And I think that this situation is repeated in several other places (the same five at least!). Over the years, the size of the firework displays and ancilliary activities has increased to commercial proportions, although some effort has been made to contain it from expanding even further.
Could Scicluna consider clustering villages and creating a roster for those clusters? For example, out of 3, 4 or 5 villages and towns situated near each other, there will be a roster of say, 2 at a time, that can celebrate the feast in alternating years or every third year. Or else, there could be a grouping of the same saint, like Santa Maria, where the parishes would take it in turn to host the festa. Parishioners from all the villages would be encouraged to contribute to the festa taking place that year, to come together in the community and share their bands and funds. Those parishes that would not be hosting the festa that year, could stand out with their charitable works for the poor and needy. That year, money that would normally be spent on fireworks, could in part be distributed to the worthy causes or donated to the church itself.
The status of the Parish priest and the Church itself, as regards the outside celebration of the feast should also come under review. The gap between the religious celebration and the outside celebration has become somewhat profane. There is a need for spiritual direction and clear boundaries. The church can have a Committee for the festa, with the parish priest as its director and sub-committees for the internal and external celebrations. Budgets should also be considered.
The Church is in favour of protecting the environment and climate change. Those fireworks pollute the air and lead to changes in the climate. Noise pollution is also serious factor. Apart from these issues, there is also the public perception. It is time to offer a more wholesome interpretation of the feast, one that takes all residents into consideration, church goers and not, and the silent poor and marginalised.
Mixed messages are found also on the spiritual level. Holding Lenten Sermons within the mass itself, is contradictory and sends the wrong message. Some people may decide they wish to hear the Lenten talks but do not necessarily follow mass or have been absent for one reason or another. This habit of bringing mass into everything from youth activities to catechism, is insular and does not reflect properly what the mass is about. The Pope told youth and men and women to get up and get the message out. What do we do here? We make sure that it stays within the walls of the church and conveniently fits into the busy schedule of the preacher!
Same thing with confession. Confession going on all through mass, gospel and sermon included, is wrong. It trivialises the mass and elevates confession above the celebration of the eucharist. Not to mention it disturbs the congregation and shows bad manners towards the celebrant, who is there representing Christ. Appropriate time for confession should be set aside.
We hope that the church can begin to separate sacramental and evangelical pastorals because a new evangelisation is greatly needed.
To Mgr. Scicluna - we augur all the blessings of Christ and our loyalty and congratulations.