It is heartening to see the enthusiasm of Fr Carl Scerri (December 21) in clamouring for an alive and aware Church as it traces its vision for our future. There is no charisma without a clear and convinced identity that speaks of itself with infectious enthusiasm.
Scerri thinks the Church chose the wrong battle in insisting on the holding of Christmas Eve processions.
In defending a papier mâché Baby Jesus, is the Church putting her weight behind the wrong cause?
Is the Church, by so doing, not reducing herself to a papier mâché statue, he asks, with so many other live issues competing for her attention?
Papier mâché must represent a drag and a burden on many a young priest intent on passing Christ’s alive message. I once ended up debating with a parish leader who described the Duluri procession as a misled devotion wasted on a piece of papier mâché.
The Duluri procession brings out vast crowds of devotees a week before Good Friday, sharing the sorrow at the mishaps of life with Mary, mother of Jesus, represented under the cross.
I responded by sharing with this pastoral leader my experience when we visited the Good Friday procession at Malaga. Though not as devout as Malta’s counterpart, this attracted huge crowds.
On arrival, I asked a bystander where things were at. She turned out to be a Dutch lady who soon contrasted what she was seeing with what happened back home.
“In spite of vaunting of being Church leaders during Vatican II, now in the Netherlands there is nothing left.”
Maybe to have religious expression melded with tradition, as happens, by contrast, in Spain and Malta, is often a plus. In a world where free expression is being increased in all areas except in public religious expression, this safeguards the public presence of Christian and other religious messages, in the face of attempts to discriminate against them.
The Christmas eve Bambin procession and the Duluri one have very profound messages to give- Charles Pace
Of course, there is no Christian identity to defend in such practices as swaying a vara of the saint while brandishing wine glasses during a rowdy village feast procession.
That is not a sign of healthy identity. It bears no Christian charisma that sways views and wins hearts to the good.
But the Christmas eve Bambin procession and the Duluri one have very profound messages to give. They are not mere papier mâché. In fact, refusing the message that it is ok during COVID for dense crowds to gather in Valletta for shopping while such demonstrations of faith are not ok is a battle very much worth fighting for.
Of course, if infections keep getting worse, it might become right for the processions – and the shopping – to be called off.
And, of course, Scerri is right: there are other worthy battles. On some things the Church seems to have a strong identity that shines out in strong messages. Its commitment to charity speaks to a reluctant world.
Its witness of poverty, chastity and obedience clamours to a world often unable to set itself free from the lure of greed, power, sensuality and adolescent-like irresponsibility.
But I also agree that we must work to pinpoint and work with discernment on other areas where the Church has identity problems. Such as, to mention a few, struggles with social awareness, its stance regarding property and the tricky challenge to speak truth to power, whether through the voice of the institutional Church or through individuals openly inspired by faith.
The challenge of how to speak about sexuality to its young, its couples, its LGBT members and audiences is also an area where the Church is passing through a painful identity crisis.
Thank God we have enthusiastic young priests and others who are studying to help discern the path for our future Church.
May they be wise, inspired, selfless and listened to.
Meanwhile, the presence of the religious and the sacred in society is the underpinning of all these messages, just as much as Jesus is the reason for the season of Christmas.
Charles Pace, specialist in social policy