Mark Montebello’s writings ‘controlled’ by the Church

Since his return from Mexico, the Dominican friar says that the Curia and his superiors are monitoring and controlling his writings before these are published.

23 October 2011, 12:00am
by Julia Farrugia

In an interview with Sunday newspaper Illum, the outspoken Dominican friar Fr Mark Montebello admits that his superiors are monitoring and controlling his literature work before it is published.

He admits that from time to time they draw his attention to change or amend sentences he would have written.

Speaking on other issues, Montebello argues that a journalist plays an important role in a democratic country: “But in Malta, democracy is a parody.”

Read the whole interview in Illum’s digital edition

Julia Farrugia is a former editor of Illum newspaper.

More from Julia Farrugia

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Has Father Mark Montebello been condemed? I also remember how the MLP supports where condemed to hell in the 60's. Is history repeating itself? Is it by this attitude the Maltese church is trying to attract the lost sheep?

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Montebello, remember, the Church is a institution who's sole interest is it's influence on POWER and hold on it's past, present and future FINANCIAL GAINS.

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Well, Montebello reckons democracy is a parody. The Church's or the State's? Or both , perhaps. Whatever he is party to the parody if he's accepting what is reported. Maybe he should take a leaf from many other eclesiastics of the past that, once they decided they wanted to say something, they said irrepective of the Church's reaction. The likes of John Shelby Spong; David Strauss and a few others since the 60s - they had something "new" to say, they said it and the Church went ballistic like it always does when new knowledge is used to change accepted paradigms. Montebello seems to want to say something but he seems to want the Church to agree with him - well well!! Courage and conviction is to say it if he believes in it and if he's chucked out so be it! Or he's too comfortable where he is and that takes precedence over his views/beliefs ? To keep doing what he's doing will only qualify him as a stirrer and nothing else.

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Nothing changes.They are what they always were,and that way they will remain. Organised religion is a disease which we still have not even began to eredicate.