Local Church treading new ground

There is no doubt that the Catholic Church still plays a dominant role in Maltese society. The majority of Maltese are deeply religious and most attend Sunday Mass and other religious functions.

There was a time (not more than 40-50 years ago) when the Church in Malta exercised a tremendous influence on the way people thought and behaved, not just in religion, but also in all other facets of everyday life. Things have now changed and the Church leadership is more restricted to the fields of social justice and solidarity and other issues which have a bearing on morality and moral ethics.

Over the past few months, we have witnessed (with satisfaction) the Church leaders treading new ground and becoming more directly involved in issues related to environmental problems and protection.

Until quite recently, the Maltese Church played a very passive role in such issues. Indeed, as late as 1992, members of the clergy were being accused by environmentalists that they were encouraging bird shooting and trapping. They were also often accused of being insensitive to environmental issues, such as when they decked altars with flowers of endangered flora.

Over the past year, more priests are becoming involved in local environmental issues (such as the development of Kalkara Valley). The Archbishop himself has openly criticised the way the Planning Authority was conducting some of its business.

In fact, it now is self-evident that even on moral and religious grounds, we have a responsibility to fulfil towards our natural environment. Some even look at St Francis of Assisi as one of the first environmentalists! His teachings were simple and clear: we must respect all of God's creation. We are part of nature. Brother sun, sister moon.

Given its influence on Maltese society, the Church could have played a pivotal role in environmental protection and in sensitising the faithful to their responsibilities towards the environment. There is evidence to suggest that the time for the Church to play such a role in environmental education has already started.

Without much fuss and publicity, the local Church has initiated a programme of intensive training courses in environmental education directed towards the members of clergy as well as lay people who normally play a key role in local pastoral councils.

The idea is simple and powerful. Get a group of such people and sensitise them to current environmental problems in Malta. Let them come face to face with Maghtab, with the sewage outfall at Xghajra, with air pollution and with similar problems. Then let them loose among the various local parishes and pastoral councils.

They will then act as catalysts for further environmental awareness, and the ripples generated will reach an ever wider public in a meaningful manner. They could even act as focal points for local environmental groups which could play a direct role in solving local environmental issues.

The first of such intensive environmental courses is being organised from September 28 to October 26 by the John XXIII Peace Laboratory of Hal Far with the full backing and direct support of Fr Charles Cordina, pastoral secretary of the Curia. The course is also being jointly organised by the Department of Biology and the Department of Theology of the University of Malta. This first course is being sponsored by APS Bank and will last for five consecutive Saturdays.

It will include both theoretical and practical sessions, with a number of field surveys and visits being planned. Participants will need no previous qualification, except one.... the full commitment towards environmental responsibility.

Well, that is what I call... putting words into practice!

For further information about this course, contact Professor Victor Axiak, on 3290-2850 or 2134-2488, or by e-mail at victor.axiak@ um.edu.mt.