Showing solidarity during COVID-19 is achieved by adhering to the health authorities’ directives and caring for each other, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said on Monday during the Independence Day Pontifical Mass
His appeal came in the wake of the deadliest week since the outbreak started last March in which six elderly people died, while the number of active cases is close to 700. Another death, the 22nd, was announced by the health authorities on Monday morning.
Archbishop Scicluna based his homily on the “seven principles for healing” outlined by Pope Francis in a new series of catechises as part of his weekly general audience – the dignity of the person, the common good, helping the poor, fair distribution of resources, solidarity, subsidiarity and safeguarding the environment.
The head of the Maltese archdiocese outlined these principles by speaking in favour of the right to life from conception to natural death, and the right to respect one’s conscience.
Mgr Scicluna also cautioned against using politics for personal gain, saying this is a tool for expressing loving and serving the people.
“We need to develop a genuine sense of belonging towards the State, which helps us develop respect for the rule of law, as well as responsibility and accountability. As a result, we will enjoy good governance which always strives for the common good,” the archbishop said.
In his homily, Mgr Scicluna also referred to migration saying this was the result of poverty.
“Often, they knock at the doors of our shores as migrants and refugees, pleading for help. In this time of the pandemic, the preferential option for the poor is also an option in favour of the sick and vulnerable,” the archbishop said.
Speaking on the principle of ensuring equal access to resources around the globe, Mgr Scicluna said Malta should be a strong voice to lobby in favour of the right of everybody to be entitled to the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available.
As for the environment, the archbishop called for better enforcement and that authorities should lead by example when taking major decisions.
“The awareness of the beauty of our environmental heritage, the gifts of creation that surround us, and the beauty of the built environment inherited from our forefathers, compel us to stop and think before constructing yet another building which is void of any sense of aesthetical beauty or sustainability,” Mgr Scicluna said.