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14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2019 NEWS St Paul's feast Have the Maltese fallen out of love with Sunday Mass? KARL AZZOPARDI TODAY, 10th February, Malta marks the celebration of the feast of St Paul's shipwreck, which is said to have marked the beginning of the coun- try's long-standing devotion to Christianity. As stated in the Acts of the Apostles, around 60 AD, Paul the Apostle was on his way to Rome from Jerusalem, when a storm blew the vessel he was on towards Maltese shores. The welcome given to the shipwreck's survivors was re- corded in the Bible as having been a kind one. And yet, one Muslim invasion later, and 2,000 years down the line from the historical advent of Malta's na- tional saint, why are the Maltese no longer the devoted Catholics they were just a few decades ago? And is the Christian faith in Mal- ta at its weakest, with a Church census carried out in December 2017 revealing that only 36% of Catholics obliged to attend Sunday Mass were doing so? The Church of St Paul's Ship- wreck parish priest, Vincent Borg, remains positive about Maltese people's dedication to their religion. He has rea- son to be satisfied: his parish registered a 38.4% attendance rate according to the census, slightly higher than the coun- try's average of 36.1%. Yet his explanation for Mass attend- ances is rather prosaic: saying the church's location impacts the attendance, since it is lo- cated on steep hills, with very narrow pavements leading up to the church. "So elderly peo- ple with mobility difficulties would rather attend Mass at the Basilica of St Dominic," he remarked. "On the other hand, on Satur- days and Sundays, we welcome a lot of people from other par- ishes." Fr Borg said the church is also proud of being quite popu- lar with government workers, which abound in Valletta, and who tend to attend the 1.30pm Mass during the week. "We regularly have employees who work but don't live in Valletta, attending Mass here." Asked if the decrease in at- tendance is a reflection of changing attitudes amongst the people, or some form of short- coming in the Church, Borg said it was a mixture of both. "If parents don't take the initiative to bring their children to Mass, they will not come over alone, and I stress this point during First Communions," he said. On the other hand, the priest celebrating Mass has to be con- cise and his sermons must re- late to the people he is address- ing. "The Pope, for example, has said that a seven-minute sermon is enough, and priests have to start abiding by such guidelines if we want attend- ance to increase." Borg also argued that attend- ance is affected by the people's perception of certain priests, with some opting to avoid at- tending during an older priest's Mass celebration. Changing realities Fr Gorg Dalli, who celebrates Mass at the Attard parish – and is a former parish priest in Swieqi – said the decline in at- tendance was a result of chang- ing times. "I believe that it's the reality we are living in, and it would be useless to start point- ing fingers here and there," Dalli said. He said he hoped the census would serve as an eye-opener for the Church, in an effort for it to realise what is causing the decline. Dalli believes that the Church should become more accept- ing of the various people who form our society. "The Church should be letting people in, not pushing people out. And the Church in Malta should fol- low Pope Francis's message of loving people and spreading a positive message." Catholic Voices Malta co- ordinator Tonio Fenech, the former MP, also asserted that the social realities of today had to be factored in when taking stock of the declining Mass attendance figures. "Our way of life today puts pressure on families. Unfortunately, people are very busy these days, going from one thing to another, and they might not always find time for Mass," Fenech said. However, the former PN fi- nance minister pointed out that not all the findings of the census – of which the Mass at- tendance census was only part – were negative, or necessarily indicated that people were be- coming less religious. "I think we need to look more holistically at the statistics which emerged in the survey, and not just the census on at- tendance," Fenech said, "For instance, figures from the sur- vey show that 92% of people residing in Malta declared that they were Catholic." Fenech also quoted figures re- lated to the importance people felt religion had in their lives, pointing out that 66% said it was very important, 27% said it was important, and only 8% gave it little or no importance. Moreover, the survey showed that around 70% of Maltese people prayed every day, he said. "So, rather than just fo- cusing on declining Mass at- tendance, the Church needs to look at the way people are choosing to live their spiritual- ity," he said. "It now has to face the challenge of understand- ing people within the societal framework of our times, and seeing how it can reach them." Fenech added, however, that one of the aims of Christianity was to help us make a positive difference in society. "So, what is a bit worrying is what some of the census statistics might mean for us, heading into the future." kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Additional reporting by Massimo Costa Church attendance declining in Malta but census on Maltese Catholics also finds 70% are praying every day "I think we need to look more holistically at the statistics... 92% of people residing in Malta declared that they were Catholic" "The Church should be letting people in not pushing people out. And the Church in Malta should follow Pope Francis's message of loving people" Tonio Fenech, Catholic Voices Malta Fr Gorg Dalli Godsend? After his shipwreck in Malta, St Paul casts a viper into the fire, confirming his protection from the snake's venom thanks to his faith