Church school heads split over merits, feasibility of teaching other religions

One seemingly innocuous comment by the country’s archbishop has ostensibly set alight the indignation of many Maltese at the mere thought that children of Muslim faith attending Church schools should be given the opportunity to learn Islam.

Even a quick scan of comments on maltatoday.com.mt reveals a vocalised misunderstanding of the Catholic leader’s proposal.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna two weeks ago said he was open to the recommendation that children of Muslim faith – and only them – attending Church schools, have classes in Islam while other students have their normal (Catholic) religion classes, a comment inspired by the closure of the Mariam Albatool school in Paola, which catered for some 200 students of mainly Muslim faith.

But even that distinction does not seem to satisfy many.

Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi during a visit at the Mariam Albatool school in Paola, which is located near the iconic mosque. Th e muslim community in Malta includes many Maltese native as well as naturalised citizens who feel Islamic religious teaching should be a right to children attending government schools

MaltaToday has learned that even the heads of Church schools are split as to whether making Islam, or other religion classes available in Church schools would be viable, or even palatable to parents and in line with the raison d’etre of Church schools.

While many heads of school failed to answer questions put them by MaltaToday, some deferring to a common statement penned by the national delegate for Catholic Education, others were more forthcoming.

What emerges is a discrepancy in outlook and perception from a body of schools that until recently was clamouring for a stronger Catholic ethos across the board.

Education minister Evarist Bartolo on Friday took to Facebook in an attempt to clear the waters and add some ‘officialise’ to the comments and rumours. following the statements made by the archbishop and Imam of the Paola mosque Mohammed Elsadi.

Bartolo said that, at the moment, State schools offered Ethics classes for those who choose not to attend Catholic religious studies.

“We have been approached by Muslim Maltese citizens, who wish their children start receiving instruction in Islam while at school,” he wrote. “As in the case of Catholic religion or ethics classes, these teachings in Islam would only be for those who specifically ask to attend and will not be compulsory for all students.”

Bartolo said that like all other subjects, Islamic studies would need to adhere to a programme approved by the ministry and which would lead to SEC certification.

“We will definitely not tolerate any teaching in favour of violence or of hate towards those who do not follow your own beliefs,” he said. “All classes will be given by qualified teachers that would be approved by us, and all classes would have to respect the Constitution and laws of Malta, human rights and democracy.”

‘Being open to humanity is part of our Christian ethos’

Mario Mallia

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the head of St Albert the Great College said that his school was open to all irrespective of creed, race, ethnicity or gender. 

“We are being open to humanity, as the archbishop put it, an integral part of a Christian ethos,” Mario Mallia told MaltaToday. “By definition, this embrace implies considering all aspects of an individual – lock, stock and barrel.”

He said that if one were to consider the religious and spiritual as an integral part of the person, they could not abdicate from the responsibility of attending, as best as possible, to these needs as well.

Mallia confirmed that the schools currently hosts Muslims, Christians of varying denominations and also non-believers.

“In all, I would say that we have anything in the region of at least 10% of the whole student population,” he said. “This is a conservative estimate.” 

Mallia acknowledged that a discussion on how to interpret religious education in an inclusive setting was still in its infancy and said that everyone should avoid doing their part ‘in their own exclusive corner’, insulated from all the rest.

“Being inclusive implies the need to provide common curricular spaces for children and youths to engage with beliefs other than their own,” Mallia said. “Christians need to know what Islam is all about; these need to know what non-believers are all about and vice versa.”

This inclusivity involved dissolving the fences that people built while embracing their own faiths, to help them open up and understand those of others. “Working towards mutual respect is key and this is only possible by active engagement,” Mallia said.

He agreed with the Archbishop’s insistence that Church schools serve as a manifestation of religious freedom. 

“If this is the case, then we cannot deny religious freedom to others,” Mallia said. “Christ opened his arms wide open to all and sundry. Schools who purport to profess the Christian ethos can therefore never close their arms to anyone.”

He insisted that no Church school should ever be about preserving its own interests and becoming an exclusive club. “In a world characterised by fences and a chronic fear of the other, schools of whatever inclination have the obligation of going against the grain; of being a beacon of hope in being human.”

Rev. Dr Charles Mallia, delegate of Catholic Education in Malta, agreed. 

He said that Catholic schools were guided by the Vatican Council II declaration Dignitatis Humanae of 1965, which states that parents have the right to determine, in accordance with their own religious beliefs, the kind of religious education that their children are to receive, and that Government, in consequence, must acknowledge the right of parents to make a genuinely free choice of schools. 

“At present however, Catholic schools do not have the resources in place to teach subjects which do not form part of the curriculum approved by State authorities,” he said.

Mallia welcomed and agreed with the Archbishop’s insistence that Catholic schools would always remain Catholic and that by accepting non-Catholic believers – “as has been happening” – they would be strengthening their ethos of inclusion that respects religious freedom.

Fr Karm Gauci, head of the Bishop’s Conservatory Primary School, said that the school would follow national and diocesan policies.

“Of course it all depends on the number of students of other religions you have in every class,” he said. “I think it would not be very easy (for Church schools to start teaching other religions), especially in small schools.”

Gauci said that one Pentecostal student was currently attending the Bishop’s Conservatory Primary. There are currently no children of faiths other than Catholicism attending Savio College.

MaltaToday could not ascertain the number of non-Catholic students in Church schools because that data – as confirmed by the Delegate for Catholic Education in Malta – was presently being compiled.

The emphatic ‘no’ –  Savio College head

Fr Eric Cachia

One outspoken opponent to the Archbishop’s proposal was Fr Eric Cachia SDB, head of Savio College secondary school.

When asked if he was open to the possibility of starting to teach Islam or other religions in his school, he responded with a clear “No”. 

He qualified his answer as not being because of the school administration being opposed to change, afraid of new ventures or feeling threatened.

“There are several proposals or processes going on in other areas,” he said. “One needs to focus, process and decide without increasing (further!) the change fatigue which parents, students and educators are trying to cope with.”

Cachia said that part of the Religious Studies syllabus thought in Church schools already focused on other faiths.

“Besides imparting knowledge on main faiths other than the Catholic faith, our school spends time presenting the timeline and locates our Catholic church, with its lows and downs, into perspective,” he said.

Cachia explained that the school also formed and informed its students about tolerance, both formally at school and through informal formation sessions outside the class. 

“Including a full-time subject for another religion is not on our agenda,” he said. “Religious Studies goes hand in hand with the character formation, implying ethical, moral, human and social values which enable a student to put into practise what is taught at school.” 

MaltaToday asked Cachia if he felt that teaching other religions in Church schools would go against the mission, vision and vocation of Church schools.

His answer, once again, was short and to the point. “Yes.”

Cachia said that such a decision would go against the Maltese Constitution, which – he said – gives the right to parents to choose the type of academic ethos/schooling for their children and consequently it demands from faith/Catholic schools to honour this Constitutional right. 

Cachia said the proposal would also go against the Catholic education system, one fundamentally based on the Gospel values.

“Our duty as Catholic schools is to keep alive this particular way of educating, which sets the grounds for an experience rather than simply providing a service,” he said. 

In line with this, he explained, the college followed its past pupils through informal formation meetings and one-to-one/group encounters which accompany them, upon their desire, even through life choices. 

Cachia pointed out that Catholic schools in Malta benefited from a great level of synergy, training and consultation while respecting the diversity and the individual charisma of each religious institute. 

“A one-size-fits-all decision will tarnish this diversity in our approach,” he said. 

In an apparent criticism of Scicluna’s justification of his stance on the issue, Cachia said that the Archbishop’s reminder to be open and “not fear this inclusive vocation” had been circulating for quite some time. 

“The issue at stake is not ‘fear’ but ‘ethos’,” he insisted.

As to the archbishop’s claim that Church schools needed to be an open door to humanity, Cachia was quick to comment.

“Humanity is not about Islam, it is about individual persons and their needs,” he said. “As an open door for humanity, Church schools have been forking out thousands of money each year to reinforce the psycho-social services which are vaguely being supported by the State.”

Cachia said he respected and even understood the Archbishop’s invitation, but said that one needed to be sensible towards parents who might not be able to fully understand a sweeping statement which could easily and harmfully be taken our of context.

‘Open to teaching other religions’ – St Paul’s Missionary College head

Fr Silvio Bezzina

Fr Silvio Bezzina, head of St Paul’s Missionary College secondary school maintained that religion was a crucial subject to teach – as opposed to other subjects – because it served a formative, as well as an informative, function.

“This makes it a notch more difficult to teach than other subjects, but it is what makes the subject of religion a beautiful, interesting, relevant subject to teach,” he said.

“To say it all … how many students actually need mathematics, history, biology (etc.) at a certain level of studies? Many or few. How many need to learn about the true meaning of life and existence, the values to be adhered to, the attitudes to foster, the ethos to hold close to heart? I would say, all.”

Bezzina said he was open to the idea of teaching other religions at SPMC, but would request a qualified person to teach the class, as was the case with any other subject. Other issues, including logistics and administration, would also need to be satisfactorily addressed.

Teaching other religions in Church schools would not go against their mission, he said: “In fact, there are many plusses.” By way of analogy, Bezzina said that SPMC has a percentage of students with disability, in some cases, severe. “Do they hinder the learning process of others? No. Do they gain something from being included? Yes. Do other students gain something? Yes of course,” he said.

And in a very honest assessment of potential pitfalls, Bezzina said that he believed it would be more worrying and difficult to have lapsed Catholics in the school, than to have other students genuinely pertaining to other religions.

But while, on one hand, he said that Catholics are called to be inclusive and to share their values and ethos with others, Bezzina then goes on to criticise other religions for not holding on to the same values as Catholicism.

Within Christianity, mercy and forgiveness are taught, and all are encouraged to practice these values, he said. 

Bezzina noted that Christians know how to recognise mistakes for being just that: mistakes, or sins. They then strive to get back on the right track, no matter how difficult the road. “Other religions may not necessarily hold on to these values, and would consider the exacting of vendetta not just a right, but also a duty,” he said. “Here, and in similar cases, is becomes very difficult.”

Bezzina said that it could be difficult to deal with students “whose family beliefs go contrary to what we believe in.” In such cases, he said, even the student himself would find himself torn between two belief frameworks. 

“Another thing, a student coming from a different background would expect to be respected and rightly so,” he concluded. “He would also be expected to respect our belief system.”