Opinion

Dialogue is the oxygen of peace

There seems to be no end in sight to the fighting and suffering in the war in Ukraine. Since February 24 of last year, hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions more have been forced to flee from their homes.

As the war drags on, we risk giving up on peace and becoming numb to the suffering of victims. While Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereignty and firmly reject Russian aggression with the necessary aid, everything must be done so that the inevitability of war gives way to paths of dialogue that lead to a just peace… Read more »

The power of hospitality

On the 5th of March, 2002, 250 asylum seekers drifted into Xlendi Bay, Gozo. Their arrival marked what would later be considered as the first major disembarkation of asylum seekers on Maltese shores. Since then, the issue of migration has practically never disappeared from our socio-political agenda. Among friends and colleagues, the pros and cons of welcoming people in a multicultural society are discussed. Come election time, the success or otherwise of our “integration” programmes is debated… Read more »

Truth and Justice – the pillars of Post-War Justice

On the occasion of Human Rights Day on 10 December 2022 the European Conference of Justice and Peace Commissions wishes to offer some reflections on post-war justice (ius post bellum).

For many months now, the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been raging. It is contrary to international law. Out of great concern for the people suffering from this brutal war, the European Conference of Justitia et Pax Commissions (Justice and Peace Europe) has repeatedly spoken out on this brutal war1, not only condemning the Russian aggression, war crimes and the countless violations of human rights, but also calling on political leaders to find a solution to this conflict… Read more »

The not-so-beautiful game

Ever since FIFA chose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, this Gulf Kingdom has been the subject of sustained critical scrutiny. What ought to be a celebration of talent, diversity and healthy competition is instead turning out to be a tournament overshadowed by stories of exploitation, murky transactions, and prejudice. In this case, the exercise in “sportswashing”, whereby corporate sponsors and host-nations seek to improve their reputation by leveraging the powerful emotions evoked by sporting events, does not seem to be going according to plan… Read more »

Poverty and homelessness

“Collaboration is increasingly being seen as an important factor in the work of health and social professionals.” (Ambrose-Miller & Ashcroft, 2016, pp.101)

Poverty is one of the most significant social determinants of health and mental health, intersecting with all other determinants, including education, local social and community conditions, race/ethnicity, gender, immigration status, health and access to health care, as well as the living environment… Read more »

Uneven access to the levers of power

“The Maltese economy is managed by no more than ten people.” These were the words of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat when he testified in the public inquiry into the circumstances of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. Many were those who brushed off this statement as a well-known fact which should not surprise anyone. However, this concentration of power in the hands of a few people raises some very serious issues regarding the type of influence they exercise over those who are called to govern for the benefit of the whole nation and the type of impact they have over the formulation of policies which should serve the common good and not that of the select few… Read more »

Statement by the Justice & Peace Commission

The Justice and Peace Commission welcomes the Archbishop’s offer to mediate between the Board of Governors of St Albert the Great and Mr Mario Mallia, who was this week dismissed from his post of Head of School.

The Commission sincerely hopes that, in the interest of the St Albert educational community but also in the interests of the whole educational field in Malta and of the wider local Church, this impasse may be solved in the very near future… 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 »

A dignified life through work

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 »