Death certificate

I have applied for a death certificate of a certain person who passed last August. I was told by the registry office that the death had not been registered by the family and, therefore, no death certificate can be issued.

The registrar confirmed that the said person had been confirmed dead by the doctor as he had the doctor’s certificate.  So can anyone answer this simple question please, as I have asked and no one seems to know the answer? In Maltese law, what is the legal time frame to register a death?

Or is it a case that the registrar will wait indefinitely for the family to register the death as there is no actual law?

If there is no law on the period of time to register a family death, then it’s just asking for the system to be abused by people who will find it to their advantage not to register a family death.

Mark Zarb Cousin – Essex, UK

A chaotic educational system

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Schools are physically open but the educational system is dwindling.

Many teachers and students are continuously being put in quarantine because of being in contact with positive cases.

Lessons are then partially given online and classwork is sent through online platforms.

Peripatetic teachers are sent to a class to supervise classes without their class teacher  while unable to conduct their actual lessons like science, music, art and physical activity.

The learning process of students is being constantly disrupted. Due to such a chaotic educational system, students are mostly sent to school to be supervised rather than for learning.

Lara Tanti – Buġibba

Women in the Church

I would like to add my experience to Fr Julian Cassar’s letter ‘Church of the future’.

He is correct in looking ahead to the possibility of priests from other countries coming to Malta to minister when a shortage of priests develops. We, in America, have had this problem and have looked to other countries to send priests to help keep parishes open.

Our own diocese has had priests from India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Poland, Ireland, Uganda, Argentina, Mexico, Malta and more.

They came to bless and serve us with Mass and the sacraments. These priests diligently learned the English language and, with a variety of accents, communicate the Word of God to the people.

If it were not for their sacrifice in leaving their own home and country, many churches would have had to close, leaving sheep without a shepherd.

The present pope is forward-thinking in allowing women to do more in the Catholic Church. God sees the heart of one who desires to serve our Lord in whatever capacity allowed.

That desire should not be quenched based on gender. Rather, it should be nourished and given expression to serve in ministry.

As more doors are opened for women, the blessings of God will follow.

Colleen Clark – Oregon, USA

To hear Mass in English

I was reading the letter in this paper, written by Fr Julian Cassar, about the need for more English Masses in the future and I do agree.

I doubt whether the number of Maltese seminarians will increase in the future as the trend is more likely to be less and less.

There are many daily Masses offered at the moment in the parishes, which must be quite a strain on the Maltese-speaking priests even now.

With fewer priests in the future being able to speak Maltese, I think it would be well if people in parishes get used to hearing Mass in English as soon as possible.

Judith Bicknell – Naxxar

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