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13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS Church and State: Academic calls for Malta to redraw the line Academic Andrew Azzopardi suggests the removal of Catholicism from the Constitution, prayers from parliament, and religion in education THE day Malta celebrates its independence after centuries of colonisation opens with a mass. Each parliamentary session starts with the Hail Mary. Even Malta's national anthem was written as a prayer. But how far should Catholicism press into the Maltese identity, and does it belong in our Constitution? This exact question was posed by academic Andrew Azzopar- di in a memorandum, which he presented to MPs and MEPs, before sharing it with the me- dia. In it, Azzopardi advocates for freedom of religion, state neutrality, and Malta's need to evolve as a secular state. "If Malta is to be a place that welcomes everyone, a cosmo- politan country as we have be- come, then it must have space for everyone," Azzopardi said. "And so, the first question that comes to my mind is: why does the Constitution still state that the religion of Malta is Roman Catholic?" After underlining that he is not proposing the removal of religion and its symbolism, Az- zopardi began to argue instead that Malta should protect free- dom of religion, but also that the State should maintain neu- trality on the matter. He noted that there is no sin- gle model of secularism while different countries adopt dif- ferent forms of separation of Church and State, and so, Mal- ta has the freedom to build its own model. That being said, Azzopardi laid out a series of recommend- ed amendments to the Consti- tution with this aim. Azzopardi said the proposals should be understood within Malta's international and Eu- ropean human rights obliga- tions, which protect freedom of religion and belief as well as the right not to hold a religious belief. He pointed to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Inter- national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 9 of the European Convention on Hu- man Rights, and the EU Char- ter of Fundamental Rights, ar- guing that secularism should not restrict religion but require the State to remain neutral while protecting believ- ers and non-believers equally. Church and State Naturally, Azz- opardi began by suggesting that the statement, "The Re- ligion of Malta is the Roman Catholic Ap- ostolic Religion", be removed entirely from Article 2 (1) of the Consti- tution. Instead, he said the Constitu- tion should declare Malta as a secular State which guarantees both freedom of religion and the freedom to have no religion at all. Rather than continuing to amend laws one by one, Az- zopardi suggested the intro- duction of a Secularism and Freedom of Religion Act which defines the freedom of religion, the freedom not to believe, equality between religions, State neutrality, and the prohi- bition of discrimination on the basis of belief or non-belief. Furthermore, Azzopardi sug- gested that prayers should entirely be removed from par- liament and other public insti- tutions such as MCAST, local councils, and parliamentary committee meetings. Mass, he said, should also no longer form part of Malta's of- ficial national celebrations. At the same time, Azzopardi said mass should remain an option for those who wish to partici- pate. Azzopardi then suggested t h a t M a l - ta should examine instances where church leadership is granted priority or privileges under the Constitution and remove them. Church repre- sentatives should be placed on the same footing as other civil society organisations. Religion in education Azzopardi turned to educa- tion, calling for the removal the statutory preference for Catholicism in schools. As it exists, he explained, this article requires State schools to provide Catholic religious teachings with a curriculum determined by the bishops. At that, Azzopardi said the entire curriculum for State schools should be determined only by a public educational authority, and not a religious authority, stressing that State schools should maintain reli- gious neutrality. While noting that those who prefer not to study religion are now offered ethics as an al- ternative, Azzopardi insisted that it should go a step further through the introduction of a single subject along the lines of Religion, Ethics, Philosophy & Citizenship. Such a subject could cover all religions, athe- ism, ethics, and critical think- ing. The Affirmations Act Azzopardi then raised the is- sue found in the Affirmations Act. Here, he called for mak- ing non-religious affirmations the default instead of religious oaths. This should extend to public appointments, State em- ployment and official proceed- ings. Here, he said civil affirmations would be the default form, while the religious oath would remain available to those who wish to use it. Azzopardi also called for the removal of the phrase "So help me God," which appears in the form of the oath taken by of- ficers in the Armed Forces, min- isters, and the president. Instead, Azzopardi suggested the wording "I solemnly swear" or "I solemnly affirm," without any compulsory religious ele- ment. Parliamentary committee on secularism Azzopardi's memorandum al- so proposed the establishment of an ad hoc parliamentary com- mittee on secularism. He said the committee should audit Maltese legislation to identify laws granting special status to a religion, religious oaths, theological references, differential treatment between beliefs, and obstacles faced by non-believers. Finally, Azzopardi suggested the introduction of a clear right to civil ceremonies at a system- ic level, together with a legal framework for marriages, funer- als, citizenship ceremonies, wel- come ceremonies for children, and national commemorations. "In other words, the point would be that a person should not have to resort to a religious rite in order to have a dignified public ceremony," he said. EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt Independence Day celebrations begin with a mass (Photo: Curia). Inset: Andrew Azzopardi (Photo: Daniel Tihn/MaltaToday) 'If Malta is to be a place that welcomes everyone, a cosmopolitan country as we have become, then it must have space for everyone'

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