Good Politics is at the Service of Peace

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 »

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 »

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 »

‘Yahad’ presented to the Leader of the Opposition

During a courtesy call, the President of the Justice and Peace Commission, perit Daniel Darmanin, presented the booklet Yahad to the Leader of the Opposition and Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech.

During this meeting which took place on Wednesday 16th February at the headquarters of the Nationalist Party in Pietà, Mr Darmanin explained that the journey of Yahad begins by listening to the voices of the victims of injustice… Read more »

Messy but urgent work

Malta’s recent history has, in more ways than one, been a success story. And yet, the price which has been paid for this success is indeed high. Apart from those who have paid with their lives, divisions and lack of peace abound on this little island nation of ours. As we prepare to elect a new government in the next few months, we can expect partisan pique and polarisation, ever-present in our society, to reach fever pitch, despite the several calls along the years for a process of national reconciliation and unity  

Last month, the Justice & Peace Commission within the Archdiocese of Malta launched a document called Yahad, a term in Hebrew which conveys the sense of togetherness and community and which represents the Commission’s vision for Maltese society… Read more »

Called to Care: New resource for educators #YahadMT

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. ‘Called to care: Why politics is not just someone else’s problem’ is the first Yahad resource which is being made available… Read more »

‘Yahad’ presented to President George Vella

The Justice and Peace Commission, within the Archdiocese of Malta, presented the document ‘Yahad’ to George Vella, President of Malta.

During a courtesy call which took place on Tuesday 1st February at San Anton Palace, Daniel Darmanin, president of the Commission, explained that the Church wishes to offer its contribution to the process of national unity and reconciliation that the President himself is promoting in various ways… Read more »

‘Yahad’ presented to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Daniel Darmanin (President of the Justice and Peace Commission), accompanied by Mark Cachia (Executive Official), presented the booklet ‘Yahad’ to Anġlu Farrugia, Speaker of the House of Representatives. During this courtesy call which took place on Friday 28th January at the Speaker’s parliamentary office in Valletta, the main points of this project were presented. The most urgent challenges in the political and social fields were also discussed… Read more »

Towards unity in society

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta, launched a discussion document to encourage Maltese citizens to reflect on how, as a country, we can work to build peace, promote the common good in society and improve the well-being of people, especially that of the most vulnerable.

This document entitled ‘Yahad’ — a Hebrew term which refers to the concepts of togetherness and community — is divided into three sections… Read more »