Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/811845
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 APRIL 2017 15 waded into the ongoing dilemma concerning the teaching of Islam in Church schools. In his blog he wrote that 'the Church would be doing a service to humanity if it raised good Muslims as well as Christians'. From the perspective of someone outside either belief system, that seems perfectly rea- sonable. But I can see how some Christians (or Muslims, if the shoe was on the other foot) might be perplexed by the idea of the Cath- olic Church bringing up children to believe in other religions. Isn't their confusion partly justified? "The Church should not teach religion at all, neither her own nor others. It should teach values, and values are universal. Love is not a religion, and never has been. It is a spirituality that, like Jesus, repu- diates limits, frontiers, boundaries, restrictions and parameters. In line with Pope Francis' third-po- sition and justicialism, the Church should see grace in and uphold any belief, whether religious or secular, which is love-oriented." Judging by public reactions, this sentiment is not widely shared among Maltese Catholics to- day. How does Fr Mark interpret the backlash? Is it a case that the Church is trying to become more inclusive, at the risk of alienating its more traditional members? "To my mind the problem is a PR one. Archbishop Scicluna has not, in my view, expressly stated his new level-playing-field posi- tion. He needs, I think, to get up on his soapbox. Left to their own de- vices, without instruction or guid- ance, people, both clergy and laity, get confused. In other words, the backlash is all a question of misun- derstanding... Some of the backlash has how- ever been overtly xenophobic in nature. The Church itself may be criticised for a lot of things, but (to the best of my knowledge) racism isn't usually one of them. Is it a cause for concern that people who are clearly racist/islamophobic identify with a Catholic Church that always takes such a clear anti- racism stance? "Again I say that, when left to their own devices, without proper instruction or guidance, peo- ple's minds fly in all directions. A thought-out, and well-presented, policy instruction is, I think, much needed..." Meanwhile, there are some who question the long-term implica- tions of the Church's seemingly new direction. Though still a small minority by international stand- ards, Islam is growing in Malta; at a time when statistics indicate that Church attendance is dwindling. Also, Malta's demographic profile is changing at a fast pace: there are more denominations and differ- ent religions present on the island than ever before (at least, in living memory). As Fr Mark himself pointed out earlier, the Church now considers herself but one of several religious institutions on the island: still the biggest, but no longer enjoying a hegemonic status. Does he see this trend persisting? Will the tradi- tional view of Malta as a Catholic country die out altogether? Or will the church adapt to the new reality and become something different? "Technically, when we speak of hegemony we are usually referring to a cultural, social or ideological pre-eminence. This, I think, is still largely Catholic in Malta. What I mean is that, though people attend church less, and though new peo- ples and beliefs are present, the so- cial, cultural and ideological fibre is still of a Catholic mould. Taking on board Pope Francis' and Arch- bishop Scicluna's input, the local Church can still harness a healthy and vigorous moral clout which will surely be of great benefit both socially and politically." Interview As the global Church appears to be shifting direction, FR MARK MONTEBELLO argues in favour of a return to a spirituality that, like Jesus, repudiates limits, frontiers and boundaries The Church should not teach religion at all, neither her own nor others. It should teach values, and values are universal VALUES religion