The Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Mario Grech, recently commented about abuses committed during the Nadur Carnival. It seems that there were some people who thought that it was funny parading around the streets mimicking the Risen Christ and the Apostles. Their warped sense of humour is considered as disgusting behaviour by many. The Bishop was right to voice his protest and concerns.

But the goings on of the Gozo carnival had other grotesque aspects. Someone thought that it would be a good idea to do a maskra grottesta in the form of a door which resembled the door of the Basilica of St George in Victoria. This “outrage” against the door brought a strong reaction against it. A judicial protest was filed and it was reported that the police took swift action so that the door was immediately locked away. Isn’t it incredible! In this most Catholic segment of the world you can make fun of the Risen Christ but you cannot make fun at a Church door! Bishop Emeritus Cauchi once had referred to some Catholics in Gozo as people with a “pigeon mentality”. This is quite an appropriate appellative in these circumstances as well.

The seriousness behind the Carnival

But the aspect I wish to bring out is not the reference by Bishop Grech to such outrages. More important was his conclusion. He said – and I quote in the original:

“Din l-imġiba tikxef il-qawwa tal-irrazzjonalità preżenti fi żminijietna. Għax kieku l-bniedem juża r-raġuni żgur li ma jwettaqx għemejjel degradanti u juri aktar rispett lejh innifsu u lejn is-soċjetà.

Inċidenti serji bħal dawn jikkonfermaw li qed ngħixu taħt id-dittatura tar-relattiviżmu, fejn kulħadd jemmen li għaliex huwa ħieles minn kull kejl legali jew etiku, allura jista’ jgħid u jagħmel li jrid, anke jekk b’dak li jgħid u jagħmel ikun jikkawża ħsara fl-oħrajn. Hija mentalità relattivista li twassal biex il-bniedem jirridikola mhux biss dak kollu li għandu x’jaqsam mas-sagru, imma wkoll li jneżża’ lilu nnifsu mid-dinjità umana tiegħu.”

The fault line of relativism

Bishop Grech’s reference to the dictatorship of relativism is not original and I am certain that he makes no such claim. He was repeating a phrase used by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger one day before he was elected Pope. On that occasion Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger gave a homily calling on his fellow cardinals to counter forces sweeping the world toward what he called a "dictatorship of relativism."

He has since then spoken on more than one occasion about this scourge.

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, when asked to comment on this phrase said that Pope John Paul in his 1993 encyclical "Veritatis Splendor" "showed that just as there was a fault line in the Soviet empire that eventually brought it down ... there is a fault line in our society, in our culture, between concern for personal freedom and abandonment of objective truth.”

While Pope John Paul supported the democracy movement in countries like his native Poland, he later feared that policies were no longer being based on moral principles. After his experience under totalitarian rule, the Pope worried that if a democratic society cannot reach consensus about truth then power takes over. Pope Benedict shares this concern.

So should we as this fault line has been causing so much havoc in our societies.

How awful he’s a Catholic

In the above mentioned homily to the cardinals the then-Cardinal Ratzinger said that standing up for Catholic principles in political debates is often derided as fundamentalism.

Let’s take a number of examples from different countries in the last few years.

• Spain. When the Socialist government was pushing homosexual marriage, adoption by gays and express divorce all those who took a stand against this position were submitted to all kind of abuse and attacks. In March of last year El Pais daily reported that Zapatero had pledged to "put the bishops in their place" after his party's victory.

• The Buttiglione case can be considered as a good example of intolerance towards Catholics by many today. He suffered for his convictions at the hand of intolerant relativists.

• When Catholic leaders expressed their opinion against abortion during Mexican national debates, politicians and others wanted the federal government to silence them. Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City, and his spokesman, Father Hugo Valdemar Romero, were accused by several political parties before the Secretaria de Gobernacion (Ministry of Internal Affairs) of violating state laws by engaging in the abortion debate. They were eventually cleared in 2007.

• Boston Catholic Charities in Massachusetts, ran an adoption agency that had been placing children with families for over 100 years. In 2006, however, the agency had to stop this service rather than submit to a state law requiring it to place children with homosexual couples.

• Besides we all remember the opposition of many secularists to any mention of God or Christianity in the European Constitution.

Today it is very politically incorrect to be anti-gay, anti-Semitic, anti-black etc. And so it should be. But the creeping mentality, even in Malta, considers being anti-Catholic as the zenith of political correctness. It seems that everyone has ever increasing rights except for Catholics. It seems that every opinion has a place and a value barring Catholic opinions and positions.

Relativism starts by promising to be very democratic. It pretends that all ideas should be treated equally. But it soon becomes very intolerant of everyone who does not believe in relativism. The relativistic mentality is the archenemy of real dialogue as it tries to impose itself on everything and everyone.

Thank you all, especially Hospice and ENT

Time flies. It will soon be one month since we buried my brother-in-law, Mario Borg. We buried him exactly one year to the day after he was operated for cancer. He fought the battle bravely but finally he succumbed. It is true that cancer prepares you for the moment of death but in a certain sense one is never prepared for this awesome moment. Fortunately light shines even in these dark moments.

The great respect that Mario enjoyed among the sports, especially the football, community in Malta was very evident. The administration of the MFA, B’Kara Nursery, B’Kara St Joseph and the Luxol Club were present en masse for his funeral. During his life he dedicated a lot of energy and gave a very valuable contribution to each of these associations. They showed solidarity at the moment of his death. Their support and that of the members of so many other football clubs is appreciated.

The caring love and professional help of Mr Charles Borg, ENT consultant, and the wonderful staff of his ward at Mater Dei is greatly appreciated by all the members of his family. Mario would have said a very big thank you for the wonderful way they took care of him. During all the hours I spent at hospital I witnessed the great dedication and keen interest in all patients that the members of the ENT staff continuously showed.

The Hospice Movement provided us with a lot of support. They cared for him and his as if they were their own. Hospice co-ordinated the support of other caring professions and were always there when we needed them. They are still offering their helping hand. This wonderful Movement deserves the support of all.

We his family, especially Helen, his wife (my sister), Sue, his daughter, James her husband and Mario’s sisters and brother also heartily thank all the concelebrants, the President and Mrs Fenech Adami, President Elect Dr George Abela, the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tonio Borg, Minister Dolores Cristina, Minister Tonio Fenech, Minister John Dalli, the Mayor of B’Kara, the Management of EneMalta and all those who showed solidarity in one way or another.

We feel the loss but are consoled by all the support we received and especially by the joie de vivre that little Julian communicates to us all. He was Mario’s favourite and the source of so much joy in his life; now he is communicating that same joy to us. Mario must be very happy at that.