Larger than life

Clearly Mintoff, was a man who engenders strong emotions, both positive and negative. There are those who love him because of the sweeping social reforms he pushed through in the 70s, changing the lives of those who had previously never known the comfort of a social security net. However there are also those who hate him passionately for the social unrest and injustices that they suffered during the years when he was at the helm of the country.

I happen to be one of those who do not have strong feelings either way. I was born in 1974, so I was only a child when Mintoff was Prime Minister. I have only vague memories of an unsatisfied hankering for chocolate and fruit juice, but other than that I cannot say that I was affected in any dramatic way during the time he was in government. I do have nasty memories of the time when Church schools were closed and crowds screamed 'Jew b'xejn jew xejn' ('free tuition or no schools'), but that came under another prime minister, albeit under a Labour government.

So I'm not quite sure what to make of the tsunami of emotion that has overtaken the country over the past few days. I read several articles and spoke to many people - and Mintoff either gets compared to Mother Theresa or else to Pol Pot. Clearly, both depictions of the man are extreme and highly unlikely to be rooted in fact.

My feeling is that he was neither angel nor devil. He was a man who was larger than life and who was in power at a turbulent time, facing difficult economic circumstances. He made some excellent decisions which resulted in thousands of people being lifted out of poverty, while committing terrible mistakes that resulted in our economy stagnating. Under him, the Maltese experienced a wave of social progress, while at the same time suffering social unrest and injustice.

Both realities co-existed and each one is as real as the other. It does not make sense to look only at the good, just as it does not make sense to dwell on the bad. They are different sides of the same coin.

Mintoff achieved great things but was guilty of gross injustices. The towering ego that allowed him to push through major reforms also led him to ride roughshod over those who stood in his way.

The fact remains that the man is now dead. Time to move on.

***

Over the past few years I have become increasingly disillusioned by the local Catholic Church. I have always felt that this institution has an extremely important role to play in our society, acting as a moral compass and guiding the faithful. Unfortunately, however, the local Curia has wasted a lot of moral capital on issues that were clearly not within its remit, seeing as we live in a democracy and not a theocracy - while at the same time ignoring other pressing issues that clearly deserve a lot of attention.

I cannot understand, and I never will understand, how the head honchos of the Curia get so het up about divorce and IVF, but do not give a damn when it comes to issues such as racism. Take a look at the comments that inevitably sprout under articles about irregular immigrants that make it to our shores, and you will immediately get a feeling about how bad the xenophobia is. Does this not bother the likes of Bishop Mario Grech, or is it only working mothers that get him all hot under the collar?

So as you can imagine I was delighted to read the interview with Fr Rene Camilleri that appeared in this paper last Sunday. It made me feel that maybe there is hope for the local Catholic Church after all.

"At the risk of being simplistic: the Church is very uneasy with a fast-changing society. We are not comfortable with a secular, pluralist society...

"And look at us: we are afraid that people are going to go their own way - to make up their minds based on other influences. Are we afraid of seeing people grow up? We shouldn't be. I, for one, am happy to see the faithful being rational and intelligent about their belief. I want an intelligent faith. But we continue to demand of people a faith that is submissive.

"There are other Catholics who are confused for a different reason: because they are intelligent and rational enough to make up their own minds. These people find it hard to identify with the Church. They genuinely want to be Catholic, but they are put off. They would like to see a different Church..."

I have a nasty feeling that Fr Rene might have got into trouble for speaking out. I trust that this is not the case, and that the Archbishop and Bishops will not try to muzzle him.

The Church needs to stop acting like an authoritarian father, who dictates and expects to be obeyed without question, and more like a loving mother, who guides her children and leads by example. The bishops need to have the humility to admit that the church's authority has been badly dented by the paedophilia scandals and that they need to work to regain the trust of many Catholics.

Throwing tantrums every time Maltese society tries to move with the times is not going to get them anywhere.