MaltaToday previous editions

MT 23 July 2017

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/852418

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 25 of 51

maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 JULY 2017 Opinion 26 It's two weeks since the Church put in force a decree that will allow, for the first time since 1962, the Latin Tridentine Mass to be celebrated. To liberal Catholics, the news has been cause for concern: while Pope Benedict XVI wants to bridge a divide with follow- ers of French Archbishop Lefèbvre, who opposed Vatican Council II reforms, his critics fear the return of a mass which contains anti-Semitic references. The Mass includes prayers for the con- version of Jews, which was celebrated for hundreds of years before being replaced by a liturgy celebrated in local languages, as part of reforms instigated after Vatican II in the 1960s, which reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church. The prayer reads: "Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ." It refers to their "blind- ness" and prays for them to be "delivered from their darkness." To Dominican friar Mark Montebello, the move is a "sure sign that we're slowly regressing to the Council of Trent", who says it's one part of a series of disman- tling measures which have been taking place since John Paul II's papacy. "At least, that's what some would like us to do. And not only in this apparently trivial matter. For some years now, since the latter part of John Paul II's pontifi- cate, there had been other signs of going backwards, as in the case of the social teaching of the Church, for instance – back to Pius XI; or in the case of Eucha- ristic theology – back to Pius XII. "Since 1978, Vatican II has been slowly but surely dismantled. Though sad to behold, it is not the end of the world... yet. Per angusta in augusta." The Archibshop's Curia however indi- cates there is little uptake for the Mass in Malta – a survey by the Curia carried out for this purpose, some years ago, showed that there were no Maltese priests in the Archdiocese of Malta interested in celebrating Mass in this rite. Indeed, it is believed that few priests today know how to do it. "Latin is still the official language of the Church and there is nothing contra- ry to celebrating Mass in Latin. In Malta, one can participate in the celebration of Sunday Mass in Latin at the Mdina Ca- thedral and at St. John's Co-Cathedral," spokesperson Charles Buttigieg said. Benedict's move is the latest in heal- ing old rifts and remaining true to his classic doctrinal conservatism, a marked characteristic of the pontiff. Archbishop Marcel Lefèbvre, now dead, was excommunicated by the late Pope John Paul II and he and his fol- lowers broke away from Rome during the 1970s. Lefèbvre's followers – known as the Society of St Pius X – are said to have been seeking reconciliation with the new pope. The group claims to have roughly one million adherents world- wide. The Tridentine Mass was authorised for use throughout the Roman Catholic Church from 1570 by the Council of Trent, a response by the Church to the upheaval of the Reformation. It is con- ducted in Latin, with the priest facing East, with his back to the community, which follows the Mass in private prayer and doesn't play an active part. Some people may rejoice at being allowed to participate once again in a Tridentine Mass, which is acknowledged to produce a more mysterious, theatrical and poetic experience of great spiritual power with its strict adherence to tradi- tion. Even non-believers like Carl Jung acknowledged that the Tridentine Mass is a solemn rite of extraordinary power. No serious uptake for Tridentine Mass, says Curia News – 23 July, 2007 Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Better education for equality Slow progress Most Maltese friends and col- leagues send or think of sending their children to private schools. There is something I cannot un- derstand. Why is it that in a country that is going through such prosper- ity and wealth, people do not think that public education is something worth investing in? I have not heard anyone discussing education during the electoral campaign. It did not seem to be relevant to the situation. When I asked around why is it that they choose private schools to public ones, their answer was that you need to live in the right area where the public school is decent. I used to live in Valletta at the time of my inquiry, and when I asked if Valletta had a good public school, I was told that public schooling in Valletta was off-limits, something I wouldn't even consider. I have personally witnessed many of these sweeping statements about Maltese culture, and most of them have proven to be wrong or outdated. In order to live with no contradic- tions we create myths about what we think certain cultures, races, institutions are, without backing them with substantial facts. It's a safe distance from where to judge the other without having to prove anything. Anyway this is not the point of my letter. What I would like to know is why many people are unwill- ing to pay more taxes, and have a better public education instead of paying as much as their equivalent in annual taxes for a private one? I tried to look for the answer. Maybe private schools were simply better. I therefore went round a few schools (private and public) to see what it was they were giving that the public ones weren't. To my surprise I could not tell the difference, except for the fact that in the private ones they'd greet you straight away in English. The activities, and the les- sons were all the same. Where were the 3,000-4,000euros difference between the two? Then it finally dawned on me. People choose private schools not for their better education, nor their better activities, nor their greener areas, nor the qualifications of their teachers. They choose private schools as a sign of distinction, like buying an SUV, or a house with an infinity swimming pool. What is surprising is that even the govern- ment seems to tacitly approve this form of class segregation, this grouping of socio-economic classes by public and private tuition. The prime minister sends his two siblings to a private school, and I wouldn't be surprised if the minis- ter of education did the same. There seems to be something inherently wrong in believing that the private sector gives better options in life, especially if you run the country. Now this is not about politics (al- though everything is about politics). This is about the Maltese people and their government, who do not believe in the system they created and paid for with their taxes. A country that is run by people who do not really believe in its public education is a country bound to sell everything to the private, believing that this is the only way forward. I really think things need to change. We need to start learn- ing from each other, mutually benefit from the villager and the executive. We need to shuffle social classes around, we cannot segregate ourselves in our tiny bubble, as this will only create greater inequality and a distorted view of our culture. The way forward will be for us to spontaneously decide that our children deserve a good education and that we are even willing to pay more taxes to achieve this goal. With a better education every- where, from Birzebuggia to Sliema, from Mgarr to Victoria, whether it is public or private we will generate better equality. This will in return improve the quality of life of the whole community. Abner Fabbro via email Before the elections, the Ministry for Transport at last started work on resurfacing the area in Zabbar around the block where one finds the Police station, post office, local council, social services, a few shops and last but not least our busy local clinic with the doctor and assistant. The clinic is very important and very busy especially with the elderly. The road around this block is still being made ready – it is in a dangerous condition, and there is so much dust too! On Friday last week, I couldn't cross after getting off the bus and had to walk all around back into main road traffic in order to get to Sanctuary Street. It is very difficult to contact the right ministry or secretariat – once they see the number they do not answer. This goes to all the minis- tries if one needs to help someone – incredible! Joan Barbara Zabbar A better education system might mean more taxes In the same block as the Zabbar health centre, there are the police station, local council and social services offices

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 23 July 2017