Bishop reacts to President's comments, says church still plays pivotal role

The Maltese Church must continue being there for society, irrespective of whether it is at the centre of their lives or not, Apostolic Administrator Charles Scicluna said this morning.

In a direct reply to President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca’s Republic Day speech – who underlined that the Catholic Religion was no longer to the country’s cultural activity – Scicluna told the public that “the light does not have to be at the centre of the room to be shed light on the entire area and yeast affect the dough wherever it is found in the mixture.”

On Republic Day, President of the Republic Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said that in light of the secularisation and religious diversity occurring in Malta, the Catholic religion was no longer central cultural activity.

However, in what could be interpreted as a direct reply to the president’s comments, Scicluna told parishioners that irrespective of whether it is a centre or not, the Church still plays a pivotal role in Malta’s society.

“The light does not have to be at the centre of a room to shed light on the entire area and yeast affects the dough wherever it is found in the mixture.”

“Equally, we must pray for the Church to continue being a strong presence and of service to the Maltese society,” he said during the annual exchange of greetings of bishops with members of the public.

“Our vocation is being present and with efficacy be witnesses of the gospel which brings about peace and happiness. The gospel is good news that helps us improve our lives, and without imposing our values on others, we are living witnesses of it and of service to others” he said.

Moreover, more than two months after Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona tendered his resignation from the post of head of the Maltese church, Cremona – the current administrator of the Church – called on the country to keep praying while awaiting for Pope Francis’s decision on Malta’s new archbishop.