Watch: ‘This Is Not The Church I Know’: Mario Mallia Discusses Issues Within Catholicism In Malta
Mario Mallia hinted at wider issues within Catholicism in Malta following his prompt dismissal from the St Albert The Great College in Valletta.
“I think that this points to a wider problem. That is the reason why the church itself is passing through this phase of having a synod, of discernment,” he explained.
“What happened within this situation points to a number of cracks, for instance, one aspect that the Pope points a lot towards is this issue of clericalism,” he said.
“The idea of having the religious people thinking that they are above the rest, as against to laypeople who still profess the faith but seem to be children of a lesser God – that is still something that we need to address.”
“For instance, the relationships between people who are conservative and the more liberal aspect. Many things came to the fore with this particular situation.”
“Hopefully, what happened here will help us in this discernment, to make the church better, to make church schools better and our society better. If that is the case, then at least we would have reaped benefits from this whole hullabaloo,” he said.
Mallia also addressed the language used in how the college described his behaviour within this situation, also criticising the top-down approach that it prefers.
“Unfortunately, with some people, making your voice heard will amount to insubordination, and as someone wrote, that is something that people who think they are very very powerful tend to do.
“That is the language they use, unfortunately, but that is not the church I know, that is not the church I believe in, that is not the situation we as professional educators need to live up to.”
Asked whether church schools are still relevant within today’s context, Mallia said that they definitely still are.
“Of course they are – first and foremost the catholic ethos – again, of inclusion, of accompaniment, of embracing diversity – and again Pope Frances is at the forefront of all this – is something that benefits the whole of society.”
“The church has a crucial role to play in all of this. We need to engage with everyone – that is where the church needs to go.”
“If we close up in a cocoon, and think that the world is still ours, that is the wrong way to approach it. What we need to do is engage in dialogue. I think what happened to us at school is the direct opposite, so hopefully, this helps to make us think about how we can do things differently.”
Watch the full interview with Mario Mallia here:
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