No-one should be privileged, nor disadvantaged, on grounds of their religious beliefs or lack of them. In Malta we live in an increasingly open and diverse society following different religious, and non-religious, ways of life. We therefore question why Catholic principles, albeit perhaps nominally followed by the majority, should be given constitutional precedence.

The State belongs to all citizens irrespective of their beliefs. To guarantee maximum freedom for all, state institutions should be separate from religious ones, and the state should be wholly neutral on matters of religion or belief. This – as opposed to an avowedly atheist or agnostic state – is secularism.

It has been suggested that the majority of Maltese and Gozitans no longer feel bound by Church precepts; look at divorce, gay marriage, contraception, and the enabling of parental choice of Ethics classes instead of religious instruction. This is borne out by the 2021 State of the Nation survey, which found that 7% of respondents did not believe in God, and 40% did not agree religion is important to them. If these figures could be extrapolated to the current population of Malta, it would seem that about 50% in Malta are either not fully practising Roman Catholics, or adhere to a different religion, or (in the case of around 35,000), to none. And perhaps some of those who nevertheless identify as Roman Catholic see themselves as part of a cultural, more than a religious, grouping.

In January 2020 Robert Abela reportedly said that “Malta is a secular state, but the constitution also affords a strong, fundamental freedom that everyone is entitled to his religion of choice”. But he did not explain how the State can be secular given our Constitution:
Article 2 (1) “The religion of Malta is the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion.
(2) The authorities of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church have the duty and the right to teach which principles are right and which are wrong.
(3) Religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education.”

This appears to be in direct conflict with Article 32, which entitles everyone in Malta to “freedom of conscience”.

Roman Catholicism has been part of Malta’s history and is part, but only part, of its modern culture. Malta’s constitution is a legal document governing the operation of the State, not a statement of Maltese identity and tradition. Why, then, should any Catholic – guaranteed freedom of conscience by Article 32 – want or need a reference to their religion in the Constitution, unless is it to ensure their church’s control of, or influence over, those who do not share their belief? After all, excluding the Catholic faith from the Constitution would not imply its replacement with any other, and of course believers should not be hindered in following their beliefs – provided they do not impose such beliefs on others.

The Constitution’s stipulation that Malta’s religion is Roman Catholic makes Malta a theocracy, and apparently imposes on it a code decided by the Vatican, not by its own diverse citizens. Enshrining Catholicism in the Constitution suggests that any non-Catholic ideas are unconstitutional, and implies that those who hold them are dissidents. The government still routinely favours and funds Catholic religious manifestations, including images and crucifixes in government buildings and schools, and prayers in Parliament. But, making a nonsense of Article 2, Malta has already diverged from Rome on marriage, divorce, gay marriage and contraception – and specifically from Article 2(3) by enabling parents to choose Ethics classes instead of religious instruction.

However, the State still sponsors the teaching of one particular faith in schools. Of course, individual and non-government-sponsored groups must retain the right to teach their respective faiths within their own community, but State-funded religious education, including in Catholic schools, should give our children an understanding of diversity, and adhere to principles of tolerance towards all, irrespective of faith, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or etc.

By Humanists Malta