Archbishop Scicluna Lashes Out At ‘Mafia Tactics’ By Facebook Group For Labour Supporters
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has taken issue with how a private Facebook group for Labour Party supporters is being used to “coordinate” critical comments against the Church.
“These are the same intimidation tactics that the Mafia uses to silence its enemies,” Scicluna said during an interview on RTK. “The tactic is to delegitimise people by attacking them as harshly as people in a manner that robs them of their dignity. When a person’s dignity is gone, he will not only be ignored but people will start doing the opposite of what he says.”
Scicluna said he doesn’t lose heart when he sees critical Facebook comments against him, comparing them with the persecution suffered by Jesus Christ.
“This is something that happened to Jesus, so who am I to say it cannot also happen to me? To those who attack the Church so viciously and cruelly, I tell them that they will have to answer to God.”
To join the Facebook group, members must send a photo of their PL membership or of themselves at a PL political activity
The entire controversy surrounds a private Facebook group called ‘Laburisti sal-Mewt’ (Labour supporters till death) which has some 18,000 members. To ensure the group is exclusive to Labour supporters, it administrators require all new members to send them a photo of their PL membership or of themselves at a PL political activity. However, it is evident from a quick glance at its members that some non-Labour supporters have managed to slip through the cracks.
The Church’s news website Newsbook recently published screenshots from within the group of people piling insults at the Church and the Archbishop and urging each other to flood Newsbook’s articles with pro-Labour comments.
Net News also claimed the group is promoting political discrimination after one of its administrators told group members to contact her if they wanted to reschedule their medical appointments in the wake of yesterday’s doctor strikes.
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