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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 APRIL 2019 7 NEWS from surveys, including those conducted by MaltaToday over the past decade, is that a large segment of the Maltese population is composed of non-practising Catholics who may have cut the umbilical cord with the church, but not with its symbolism. These surveys suggest a pick-and-choose attitude to- wards religious dogma and practice, but a strong attach- ment to cultural symbols. The latest survey conducted by MaltaToday showed that 88.8% of Maltese were against the removal from the Consti- tution of Catholicism as Mal- ta's official religion. An even stronger majority was against the removal of the crucifix from public buildings such as schools. In fact, at 94% op- position to the removal of re- ligious symbols from public buildings has remained the same as it was in 2010. This suggests that in a time of change, Catholicism is morphing into a totem of identity as opposed to a way of life. The risk of this is that religion becomes more de- tached from the actual teach- ings of the Church, not just when it comes to moral is- sues 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, especially when reli- gious symbols are defended by right-wing parties whose agenda is that of excluding others. That explains why the Ro- man Catholic Church has dis- tanced itself from a campaign to reintroduce the crucifix in public buildings in Bavaria spearheaded by the Christian Social Union (CSU). In April 2018 Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, the president of the German bishops' confer- ence, warned that this had triggered "division, stirred up trouble and played people off against one another". "The cross is a fundamen- tal symbol of our Bavarian identity and way of life," said Bavaria's CSU leader Markus Söder, as he hung a cross in the lobby of the state gov- ernment's headquarters in Munich. But Cardinal Marx warned that viewing the cross as a cultural symbol results constitutes a fundamental misunderstanding: "The cross was a sign of opposition to violence, injustice, sin and death but not a sign against other people". crosses "The cross is a fundamental symbol of our Bavarian identity and way of life," said Bavaria's CSU leader Markus Söder, as he hung a cross in the lobby of the state government's headquarters in Munich Chris Fearne: Health Minister Chris Fearne nipped the issue in the bud by immediately distancing himself from the circular, ordering its withdrawal In the context of public hospitals and clinics, religious symbols provide solace and hope, sometimes serving the same role as magical charms

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