Each year, on 8th December, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception; an extremely important cult but not without its controversies. The history of this cult is the subject of the paper that I have written and which has just been published by the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta, in a book entitled “The Quest for Authenticity and Human Dignity”. This is a Festschrift in honour of Professor George Grima edited by Emmanuel Agius and Hector Scerri.
Scerri and Agius have succeeded in bringing together a number of scholars, both local and foreign; all experts in their own field. Those who may think that this is a book simply about theology are mistaken. Theology is there but there is much more. Raymond Mangion wrote about local politics during the period of self-government. Roger Ellul-Micallef reviewed popular religious cults associated with the plague epidemics. Incidentally, Ellul-Micallef opted for the C.E. abbreviation, which is normally frowned at in Catholic Quarters as this is seen to be specifically intended to obliterate the Christian heritage of Europe. However, his choice found acceptance in this book published by our Faculty of Theology.
Philosophy too is discussed. Vincent Riolo, Malta’s leading expert on the philosophy of Logic writes about Abstraction, while Joe Friggieri discusses intention and the resulting human actions.
Points of doctrine related to Popes John XXIII, John Paul II and Benedict XVI are discussed by three distinctive scholars. John Anthony Berry discusses Eucharistic Ecclesiology. Hector Scerri reviews the theology of Freedom as expressed through the Eucharist within the Magisterium of John Paul II while Jimmy Bonnici writes on the concept of Renewal as expressed by Pope John XXIII. Bioethics related to organ donations are the subject of papers by two leading foreign experts, Laura Palazzin and Marie Thiel. Emmanuel Agius discusses the moral issue behind the concept of Consensus with regards to unconscious patients and Donia Baldacchino focuses on ethical questions revolving round heart attacks.
Biblical stories are the subject of papers by Stefan Attard, Paul Sciberras, Joseph Ellul and Marcello Ghirlando. Issues of contemporary theology, moral and dogmatic issues were the subject by Nadia Delicata, Edward G. Farrugia, Anthony J. Frendo, Rene Gothoni, Terrence Merrigan and Mark Sultana.
What truly brings all these diverse papers together is the quest for Authenticity. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, the whole question of Authenticity is becoming the crux for understanding our contemporary world. Before, authenticity was related principally to the issue of “love”. Love was not restricted to the family, hetero or homo-sexual relations - as it was in the Greek and Roman worlds, but from the Middle Ages onwards, it was extended to the concept of the nation.
The book was launched at the Curia where, Judge Emeritus Giovanni Bonello spoke about the quest for new rights resulting from new concepts of individualism. Individualism is slowly becoming the key concept behind issues of contemporary human rights, which goes beyond the concept of collective rights as developed in the Age of the Enlightenment. These concepts are appearing to be more distant than those embraced by the Catholic faith. In part, the Enlightenment arose in opposition to all forms of Christian thought.
Perhaps, IS is bringing back old concepts to the fore by embracing, once again, the Classical concepts of martyrdom as expressed in the Classical age through the philosophy of love. As a reaction, we are witnessing the rise of the nation state again. A number of topics in this book can help experts and non-experts reflect better on the challenges that the emergence of the concept of ‘love’ is offering our times. Most, if not all the answers in this book, are inspired by Christian theology. Nevertheless, one should not forget that Christianity embraced Classical philosophy.
The Greeks and Romans depicted martyrdom as a sublime manifestation of “love”. In our days terrorists are making public their love for their ideal when they decide to die with their victims. The question should revolve on whether this ideal is authentic or not. Here, in my opinion, lies the key answer to the terrorist threat.
The Roman philosopher Plutarch argues that true fighters are those who are ready to die for their ideals. For him, this constitutes true love. The problem with hedonistic love is that modern men and women do not want to sacrifice their life for an ideal. But then, they create a number of ethical situations, where the value of life is put into question. It is here where love becomes a contradiction in terms. Can all this be read through the philosophical lens of Authenticity?
Perhaps, Michele Foucault expresses this paradox very well in Volume Three of his book about the History of Western Sexuality. Analyzing Plutarch, Foucault wrote: “it is out of mutual love that lovers, in battle, throw themselves on the enemy, fighting boldly to their death rather than fleeing in shame”.
Foucault’s statement justifies the indignation felt by many on reading the Facebook post by veteran Labour journalist and at present adviser at the Minister of the Interior, John Pisani, who mocked the Maltese soldiers for complaining about the type of food they were given while on duty during CHOGM.
The indignation could only be authentic if those reading his comment felt that it offended the soldiers’ human dignity. At the same time, one can reach another conclusion. Using Pisani’s metaphor and line of thinking, the IS terrorists have “cookies” and while they are not escaping from the battle ground, we can agree that their action lacks all forms of human dignity.
But the IS terrorists actions should make us reflect that they are not the only species that are abusing human dignity. Certain decisions given by the European Court of Human Rights are being seen to lack human dignity – even if – the intention of the judges is purely to safeguard it. The dissenting views of Judge Vincent DeGaetano should make us reflect on this point. In his discourse, Judge Bonello is of the opinion that Europe is now abusing the concept of individual rights and I add, because certain claims lack authenticity.
Here is a worthy book in honour of Professor George Grima who dedicated his life in search of authenticity both through academia but also in the way he has lived his mission and personal life.