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15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2019 NEWS CHURCH attendance may have dropped from 51% in 2005 to just 36% now, but a survey published concurrently with the census also shows that 92% of Maltese still identify themselves as Catholics. Only 5% say they are atheists or agnostics. Additionally, 54% of Catholics said they had attended Mass the previous Sunday, a figure which contrasts with the 36% recorded by the census. A MaltaToday sur- vey in 2016 had also put Mass attendance at 55%. Researchers explain this discrepancy by citing social desira- bility bias: a tendency of survey respond- ents to answer ques- tions in a manner that will be viewed favourably by others. This suggests that a significant number of those not attending Mass still consider their absence as inappropriate. In short: they may not be attending Mass but still think they should. The overall picture emerging from surveys, including those conducting by MaltaToday over the past decade, is that a large seg- ment of the Maltese population is composed of non-practising Catholics who have not cut the umbilical cord with the Church. These surveys suggest a "pick and choose" attitude towards religious dogma and practice. A survey carried out before the divorce referendum in 2010 showed over 90% of the Maltese believing in God and following the Roman Catholic religion. The survey also showed an absolute majority of Maltese (93%) agreed with the exhibition of religious symbols like the crucifix in public buildings. In 2016 another survey showed that the vast majority (95%) of Maltese think that newspapers should not be allowed to publish cartoons 'making fun' of religious figures. In 2017 an overwhelming 87% also expressed the view that Ro- man Catholicism should remain Malta's official religion. On this front, nothing has changed. In 2018 a whopping 93.9% of people still identified themselves as Catholic. Moreover 88.8% of Maltese were against the removal from the Con- stitution of Catholicism as Malta's official religion. An even stronger majority was against the removal of the crucifix from public build- ings such as schools. Bur even as early as 2010, be- fore the watershed referendum on divorce, a majority was al- ready departing from the Catholic Church's teachings on contracep- tion, divorce, papal infallibility and the afterlife. For example, only 22% of the Maltese and 12% of under-35s agreed with the Church's ban on artificial contraception. As re- gards sex before marriage, the sur- vey showed a clear split between different age groups. While 50.4% of all respondents think that sex before or outside marriage is al- ways wrong, 66% of under-35s disagree with this outright ban. And while abortion has re- mained taboo in all surveys con- ducted by MaltaToday, a survey carried out in 2016 showed wide- spread agreement with euthanasia in those cases where the patient suffers from a terminal illness and unbearable pain. Among 18- to 34-year olds, 65% of them agree with the right to die in this spe- cific circumstance. This suggests that in a time of change, Catholicism is morphing into a totem of identity as op- posed to a way of life. The risk of this is that religion becomes more detached from the actual teachings of the Church, not just when it comes to moral issues but also when it comes to values like solidarity and social justice. For example, a survey held in 2017 showed 46% of the Maltese would like the Maltese Church to speak less in favour of accepting mi- grants. That's where the trouble starts. A badge of identity JAMES DEBONO In a time of change, Catholicism is morphing into a totem of identity as opposed to a way of life. The risk is that religion becomes more detached from the actual teachings of the Church on issues of social justice vey in 2016 had also Isiah Riolo – Attends "The Church needs to appeal more to youths. The Pope is appealing for this youth mentality, and Maltese priests should follow. But what the Pope does is not being reflected in Malta. A lot of people are still antiquated in the way they think. They should improve their approach by looking at what people think and what is happening right now, not stick to their mentality." Roberta Abela – Attends "The sermon should be more interesting and should appeal more to young people. It should reflect what is happening right now." Erika Farrugia – Attends "If people follow, they should attend. I don't think that it should change. If you do follow the religion, it's what it has always been and it should remain as it is. I don't think it should change." Mark Farrugia – Does not attend "I don't attend because I don't find the time really… There are things which can change – the sermon for example. It should be based more on trying to help people, than being a recital of superficial stories. There isn't enough depth to what is being said." Daniel Zammit – Doesn't Attend "I kind of fell out with the whole religion thing… I used to attend when I was younger, with my parents, but the more I grew up, it became more of a chore than a need." Calvin Grech – Doesn't attend regularly "There should be more activities that include young people, which help them realise why they should be attending Mass." Sabrine Camilleri – Doesn't Attend "I do believe in a higher power, but I don't believe in the god and religion which the Catholic Church abides by." Andre Vella – Attends "The Church should be more targeted towards today's audience. It should talk about what is happening right now, not stick to the old way of doing things." Nicholas Zarb – Attends "It's hard to say if the Church should change things, as the way Mass is celebrated was planned out during the second Vatican Council, so it's up to the Vatican. As a lay person, I don't have the knowledge to dictate what should and should not happen. I leave that in the hands of the Church." Aaron Zammit – Attends "Every priest has his own style, so I can't take it against the Church, it's his personal duty. Who will change things… if they would even change? The Curia? One just attends Mass, you do so because you are Christian and because it's the Word of God." Jesmond Caruana – Doesn't attend regularly "They have to re-open youth centres to attract young people to the Church. All youth centres and groups have closed down, and I believe that it is part of the problem. The priests and group co-ordinators who used to try and attract young people towards the Church have stopped doing so. Before, activities for youths like hiking and football used to be organised by Church organisations; today everything has stopped." Joyce Spiteri – Attends "I don't go to church, I need the Church. Since I started taking Mass more seriously, I believe that nothing has to change… What needs to change is me. As the body needs water to drink, the soul needs Mass. If I like some types of hymns, or prefer a priest over the other, there are a lot of time slots when Mass is celebrated. I talk about myself, but I need Mass as much as I need water." Louise Darmanin & Valerie Meli – Attend "The sermon shouldn't be that long as some young people get bored of it and end up not coming to Mass." "There are some priests who are able to make the celebration more appealing and it shows in the attendance. You do find priests who are able to make a connection with those present, even the sermon is delivered in a more heartfelt way." Vox Pop | SUNDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2019