Graduands urged to consider the humanitarian aspect

The Archbishop, Mgr Joseph Mercieca, yesterday called on students graduating next week not to think merely of financial gain when practising their profession but to bear in mind the humanitarian aspect.

Graduates represent the intellectual class and they ought to assist the university in maintaining a humanitarian aspect in its outlook.

Delivering the homily during a Mass of thanksgiving at St John's Co-Cathedral, in Valletta, the Archbishop added, without elaborating, that there were those in society who adhered to what he termed a "temporary culture" that lacked Christian roots.

Such a culture made those who resorted to it to accept new trends and beliefs without questioning their validity and which in the end damaged the country and the Church, he said.

The Mass was heavily attended, the congregation packing the co-cathedral.

The result was a hard beating for the marble flooring consisting of tombstones depicting elaborate designs in various types of marble. Throughout most of the year, visitors are not allowed to step on the flooring but yesterday students walked on it in their hundreds in stiletto heels. Several members of the congregation felt that such celebrations should no longer be held at St John's to spare the co-cathedral any more damage from such a large crowd of visitors.

Daniela Apap Bologna, curator St John's Co-Cathedral, said that following a notice from the St John's Foundation, the rector of the university had mailed a note to every student asking them to refrain from wearing stilettos.

"The Maltese have to decide once and for all whether they want to preserve the magnificent flooring of St John's. Visitors wearing stiletto heels are barred from entering the church.

"Also, such a multitude of people in such an enclosed space changes the climate inside the co-cathedral with possible ensuing damage to the works of art in the church," Ms Apap Bologna said.

As soon as the students spilled out of the church after Mass, factions representing the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Law staged a wrangling match trading "friendly" taunts.

Others let off squibs filling the air with acrid smoke and an irritating hiss which however added to the merry atmosphere that most of the students seemed to be enjoying.

Over 2,200 students will graduate this year, consisting of 965 men and 1,248 women.

The graduation ceremonies will be held between Monday and Friday next week.

The highest number of graduates, 480, come from the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy followed by 412 from the Faculty of Education and 357 from the Faculty of Law.

The third batch of students in the Masters class in Human Rights and Democratisation will graduate in a separate ceremony to be held in the Aula Magna of the Foundation for International Studies.

The university had been entrusted to coordinate the course by the European Commission as part of a network in conjunction with universities and human rights institutes from around the Mediterranean basin as well as in Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands.

This year sees the first group of students graduating Bachelor in Conservation and Restoration Studies (Hons) conducted by the Malta Centre for Restoration at Bighi whose courses are regulated by the university.

At a graduation ceremony held in Rome on November 12, 47 male and 23 female students graduated from the university's Link Campus. This was the second group to graduate from the Rome campus.