[WATCH] Archbishop talks of honest politics, poverty and abortion in Independence homily

Archbishop Charles Scicluna laid down the importance of good governance and honest politics in his Independence Day homily as he spoke of the common good.

“If politics is to serve as an expression of service and love, it needs to be detached from every motivation of personal gain,” he said.

Scicluna was celebrating mass at St John’s Co-Cathedral to mark Malta’s Independence Day.

His homily covered a diversity of issues from good governance to ecological conscience, poverty and abortion.

Scicluna explained that a sense of belonging towards the State would allow for respect of the rule of law. “As a result, we will enjoy good governance which always strives for the common good.”

Scicluna hinted towards the abortion debate when reflecting on the dignity of the person, saying that the right to life implies “every individual from the beginning of human existence, from conception to natural death.”

Discussing poverty within the context of the migration issue, Scicluna said that the poor “knock at the doors of our shores as migrants and refugees, pleading for help.”

“The preferential option for the poor is the remedy against the temptation of embracing a throwaway culture where a person’s worth depends on his or her strengths or how useful he or she is to society,” he said.

Scicluna brought up the importance of fostering “widespread ecological conscience,” especially through education.

Care for our common home, he explained, “implies the enforcement of the very good environmental laws that the Maltese Parliament has given to the nation.”

He emphasised, however, that law enforcement is essential in this area, and education is needed to help foster an ecological conscience.

“Our islands are indeed beautiful: a gift that we did not create ourselves. Our cherished community is today proud to be sovereign and autonomous. May we appreciate and assimilate these seven principles mentioned by Pope Francis and may they help us promote the healing of our personal and social fabric,” he concluded.