Vast majority uphold traditional values
The overall picture of the University students' attitudes, which emerges from the survey, is one of general conformity with the Church's teaching on matters of faith and morals. Their main points of divergences are about certain 'life issues'...
The overall picture of the University students' attitudes, which emerges from the survey, is one of general conformity with the Church's teaching on matters of faith and morals. Their main points of divergences are about certain 'life issues' particularly those related to sexual behaviour, divorce and to certain institutional aspects of the Church itself. Apart from such specific issues, important though these are in the Church's legacy, the vast majority of University students uphold traditional values and norms."
This is the main conclusion which comes out of a survey commissioned by the University Chaplaincy and carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Malta. The results have just been published in a book entitled Religious Beliefs and Attitudes of Maltese University Students. The book was edited by Fr Jimmy Bartolo, SJ, University Chaplain and Dr Mary Anne Lauri. The results were processed by Professor Anton Buhagiar and are analysed in the book by Rev. Dr Charles Tabone, OP, and Professor Edward Zammit. Rev. Dr Paul Pace, SJ, interprets the results from a pastoral perspective. The book includes information about the services offered by the University Chaplaincy.
The survey was carried out by person-to-person interviews, through a semi-structured questionnaire of 35 questions.
The number of participants consisted of a random sample made up of 417 students, 166 males and 251 females, all Maltese, from a universe of 6129 Maltese students in day courses only. The margin of error for this number of responses at the 95% confidence level is 4.68%.
Below is a summary of the results and an outline of the pastoral response proposed in a second chapter.
Religious belief and unbelief
The vast majority of students (98%) declared their belief in God and in the other fundamental principles of the Catholic faith.
Although the level of acceptance of other articles of faith is not as high, there is a very high level of belief among students in the afterlife (88.1%), bodily resurrection (71.7%), the efficacy of the sacraments (86.3%), and the virginity of Mary, the Mother of God (87.2%). However, when it came to the Church, only 74.6% declare their faith in it.
Religious practice
The majority of respondents claim that they do pray (88.9%). A large number (71.8%) affirm that they pray 'regularly'; 45.4% pray daily, and another 21.3% twice or more often weekly, and 5.1% pray weekly. In their prayers, students develop a personal relationship with God. In fact, the majority of students (82.4%) refer to prayer as a way of communicating with God. Yet, less than 10% say that they use the Bible in their prayer.
Most students do not pray at set times, even though they may do so 'often during the day'. The most popular time is at night before going to sleep. The majority seem to pray 'when they feel the need to do so'. Those who belong to some form of religious movement recite the psalms, read excerpts from the Bible, engage in songs and meditation.
Sacramental participation
The majority of University students may be considered as practising Catholics since most of them (77.1%) attend Mass at least once a week, while another 7.7% go to Mass monthly. Only 0.9% say they 'never' receive Holy Communion, while 52.9% said they receive the sacrament every time they attend Mass.
Going to Confession seems to be less frequent among university students. A third state that they 'never' go to Confession, and when asked when they had made their last Confession, slightly more than half of this group answered that it was less than two years ago, with 30% less than one year ago. The other two-thirds can be said to believe in the sacrament of reconciliation and receive it on a regular basis.
Life issues
Students' attitudes were further explored regarding such crucial issues like marriage, cohabitation and divorce, birth control and abortion, extramarital sex and premarital cohabitation.
The students' view of marriage is a positive one, and the majority show also a positive attitude towards religious marriage; 94.6% are ready to contract some form of marriage, while 90% said that they are ready to marry in Church.
This positive attitude towards marriage and religious marriage needs to be interpreted in the light of the students' attitudes towards divorce, premarital sex and premarital cohabitation. The majority of respondents (71%) see nothing wrong with premarital sexual intercourse, especially when the relationship has become steady and is leading towards marriage. These included 28.5% who express this view without qualification, and another 42.5% agree only "when there is a steady relationship"; 58.1% see nothing wrong with premarital cohabitation.
While only 5.4% of students would choose not to get married either civilly or religiously, 98% find nothing wrong with cohabiting before marriage. On the other hand, some students see it a threat to marriage, 'unnecessary' and as 'reflecting insecurity' on the parts of those who practise it. Moreover, it is seen as 'morally unacceptable' and 'going against their religion'.
The legalisation of divorce is an issue that is still much debated in Malta. Although 52% of our respondents do not agree with the legalisation of divorce in Malta, when asked whether they personally would be ready to divorce if the need arises, they seem to hold a different view. In fact, only 24.8% claim that they would never ask for a divorce no matter what, even if the possibility exists in our legislation.
Only 2.5% say they see absolutely nothing wrong with abortion. On the other hand there are 37.5% do not see it as 'always wrong' because they think that there may be exceptional cases where it can be justified, basically to save the mother's life. 5.2% believe that abortion can be carried out when one knows that the child is going to be disabled.
Adherence to Church's institutional norms
Students disagree with the Church's teaching on a number of important moral issues; 65.8% do not agree that premarital sex is wrong, while 85% do not accept the Church's teaching on birth control and the prohibition of artificial contraceptives. Similarly 40% disagree with the Church that divorce is morally wrong, and another 41.4% disagree with its position on civil marriage with regards to Catholics.
A pastoral response
There is no doubt that the picture that emerges is not very different from many other similar surveys carried out among Maltese and other European youths. It portrays a very individualised mentality, what Anthony M. Abela elsewhere calls an 'individualised Catholic identity', one which feels no inconsistency between believing in God and disregarding some important moral norms as preached by the Church. Students pray daily, go to church on Sunday but have their own ideas and practices on sexuality and marriage.
Should this individualism be condemned or praised, the authors ask. They reply that it should be properly understood as a cultural phenomenon of our own times, one of the most important conquests of modernity which no one dreams of surrendering. Yet students should be empowered to embrace an authentic type of individualism that shunning all narcissistic tendencies, enables them to be true to themselves and to their deep desires.
The survey's findings on the students' prayer life and what they look for in prayer shows that there is a deep spiritual yearning, which itself runs the danger of being merely narcissistic, unconnected with concrete reality.
We are certainly living in times of deep and lasting change. The challenge for the University Chaplaincy and for all those who have the welfare of our young students at heart, is to learn to listen better to what the students are telling us and, like the wise man of the Gospel, know how to bring out of our treasure new things and old.
University Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy team aims at assisting students and staff of the University of Malta in their growth as individuals and as a Church community, to celebrate and live the message of Christ.
The ministry of evangelisation is directed to all members of the university, through dialogue with all sectors, commitment to justice, especially where the "poor" are concerned, worship and education opportunities for faith development - always in the light of discernment of God's will.
The Chaplaincy offers...
¤ A chapel that offers you time, place and silence to pray.
¤ Celebrations of Mass: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 12.10 p.m., Wednesday and Friday at 12.30 p.m., Saturday at 7.30 p.m.
¤ Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter celebrations as well as other important liturgies during the year.
¤ Spiritual guidance and pastoral counselling.
¤ Three marriage preparation courses every academic year for those preparing for a Christian marriage.
¤ Voluntary work in Malta and abroad.
¤ Bible courses.
¤ Student encounters for first year students of several Faculties to get to know each other and lecturers in an informal setting.
¤ Justice commitment group.
¤ Liturgy group.
¤ Lecturers' media group.
¤ Christian reflection groups for University academic staff.
¤ Pastoral initiatives for administrative and technical staff.
The University Chaplaincy tries to work hand in hand with MKSU (Moviment Kattoliku Studenti Universitarji) and KSU (Kunsill Studenti Universitarji) in various initiatives offered to students on campus.
The University chaplain is Fr Jimmy Bartolo, SJ,
e-mail: chaplaincy@um.edu.mt
tel: 2340-2341 (University)
Website: http://home.um.edu.mt/chaplaincy or www.umchaplaincy.org