Author: Mark Cachia

Pope Francis in Malta

Pope Francis visited the Maltese islands from the 2nd till the 3rd April for a brief and intense visit.

Migration, the joy of the gospel and the need to rediscover our humanity in the way we welcome each other were at the centre of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey. The theme for the visit was “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28,2). At his first event, in Valletta, he addressed the President of Malta and other civil authorities and highlighted the values of honesty, justice, a sense of duty and transparency as “essential pillars of a mature civil society”… Read more »

Win or lose

As the dust settles from last Saturday’s General Election, Malta seems to be stuck in a familiar scenario: Half the island is celebrating joyfully, and the other half is in mourning. Some people are calling relatives and neighbours to gloat. Others call to commiserate. Many are sighing in relief, whilst others are moaning and grinding their teeth in pain, anger and despair. In other words, not unsurprisingly, extreme partisanship seems to be as alive and kicking in post-election Malta as it was a week ago in pre-election Malta… Read more »

One family in Malta: kindness in hospitality

The fifth and last dialogue session of Ilkoll Aħwa is taking place on Friday 1st April, with the theme chosen being ‘One family in Malta: kindness in hospitality’ and will be led by Mark Cachia.

Christian hospitality begins with an attitude of gratitude towards a God who welcomes. In the Gospel, apart from being portrayed as a gracious and merciful host, Jesus is also shown as a vulnerable and needy stranger… Read more »

3rd European Catholic Social Days

Following the days held in Gdansk (2009) and in Madrid (2014), the third edition of the European Catholic Social Days – entitled “Europe after the pandemic – towards a new beginning” – was held in Bratislava from the 17th till the 20th of March. This meeting gathered hundreds of delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences to discuss about the most pressuring social challenges in Europe and reflect on the demographic, technological and ecological transition processes taking place in European societies… Read more »

A dignified life through work

Copyright

In recent years, Malta has been hailed as a success story when it comes to employment opportunities. And yet, work is much more than an activity which generates wealth and guarantees a source of income. It is an integral part of our wellbeing and has a decisive influence on the quality of life of individuals and families. As such, we are duty-bound to go beyond the headline numbers and analyse in more detail the following challenges which hinder workers and their families from leading a dignified life through work:

– An alarming increase in in-work poverty. The proportion of working people who earn less than 60% of the national median income has increased from 5.2% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2020… Read more »

Right and duty: the importance of voting

As we prepare to elect a new government on the 26th of March, it would be hard to find a more challenging message about Politics than the one offered by Pope Francis who invites good Catholics to meddle in politics: “You can’t watch from the balcony! Get involved!”. “Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good… Read more »

Dialogue sessions in preparation for Pope Francis’ visit

Ilkoll Aħwa (One Family) is the theme chosen for events being organised by the Church in Malta as the country prepares spiritually to welcome Pope Francis on the 2nd and 3rd April. Over the next few weeks, the theme of the Apostolic Visit, “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2), shall be complemented by a deep reflection to encourage Maltese society to reflect on how all of us who live on these islands are called to care and protect one another as blood relatives do… Read more »

Forging a new culture of peace – A strategy for Europe

Surveying global affairs today may leave us with a sense of disorientation, unpredictability or even fear. European nations are confronted and challenged on the global stage with fragile trust in international legal frameworks and multilateral mechanisms, even if seeds of hope seem to be emerging with the revival of the transatlantic partnership. The Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions, composed of more than thirty national commissions is convinced that the way forward for Europe as a whole is to be found in the development of a new culture of peace… Read more »

Lent Resource Pack – ‘Yahad’

In Yahad, the Justice and Peace Commission reflects on the wounds of our society, before proposing a number of tools from Catholic Social Teaching which can help us build a more just and reconciled society.

In order to bring this reflection to different groups of people, a number of resources based on ‘Yahad’ are being prepared. In Lent, the Commission is publishing a Resource Pack with the aim of helping us reflect on the Scripture Readings which are proposed by the Church during this liturgical season, linked to the ‘Yahad’ reflection in our current social context… Read more »