THE MALTESE MAZE
S1R,—Your issue of April 6 contained an article by Mr. C. Hollis entitled The Maltese Maze.' This article, I regret to say, contains a number of serious inaccuracies on the la5. tion of the Roman Catholic Church in Malta' The most serious inaccuracy is the statement: 'Either no supporter of integration paid anY attention to the Archbishop's request that he refrain from voting . . .' and, farther 0111 'both the Archbishop and Nationalists calico for abstention.'
All this is inaccurate and wrongly presents the stand taken by His Grace the Archbishop f Malta. If Mr. Hollis read it carefully. as
Presume he did, the Bishop's Pastoral Letter la ,o0 way told the people to abstain from "118. The Bishops presented the position of Roman Catholic Church in face of integra- tion and certainly did not ask for abstention After the Pastoral His Grace the Archbishop. two days before the Referendum, broadcast a talk over the local relay system. Again, he never recommended or asked for abstention. „ .1 sincerely hope that Mr. Hollis will in all tairness and respect to our beloved Archbishop correct his inaccurate statement. — Yours faithfully, !otirely escapes me. On February 25 Father yella himself wrote in the Times of Malta. nlislInderstanding here, the nature of which
(Mr. Hollis writes: 'There is clearly some
the intervention majority of Maltese do not consider ! Intervention of His Grace the Archbishop !is interference. . . . The Church in Malta intervened because it saw in integration as Proposed real dangers to Faith and Morals. ' • • The Church had the right to take a stand." The Giunta Diocesana—the official body of Catholic Organisations—on February y
resolved that they "appeal to the people of
,t!lese islands not to vote in favour of Integra- "°° in the forthcoming referendum, unless the C. hutch declares herself satisfied with the Lettstitutional guarantees she has asked for and w.illeh have not been granted." '—Editor, SPectator.]
Previous page
