L-omelija tal-Isqof Joseph Galea-Curmi
When Pope Francis published Laudato Si’ ten years ago, he offered the world not only an encyclical, but a prophetic call – a cry of both the earth and the poor. He reminded us that “everything is connected” (Laudato Si’, 91), that the ecological crisis is not separate from the moral, social, and spiritual crises of our age.
Today, that call resounds with particular urgency here in Malta – a small, beautiful, and fragile island nation where the wounds of creation are increasingly visible to all who have eyes to see.
Malta – once known for its clear seas, rich biodiversity, and vibrant countryside – is now a changed land. Concrete keeps spreading, natural spaces are vanishing, and even the sea that shaped our history bears the wounds of pollution and slime. It is time to recognise something fundamental: we are destroying the very land and sea that sustain us. The protection of creation is not a luxury, a slogan, or a matter of political convenience. It is an ethical, spiritual, and national necessity.
Malta’s environmental reality – land under pressure
The Maltese Islands are among the most densely populated regions in the world. Every patch of land matters, every tree counts, every stretch of open space carries life. Yet what do we see around us?
A relentless wave of construction – often excessive, insensitive, and poorly regulated – leaving scars across our landscape. Valleys once lush with trees are now choked by rubble and dust. Fields that once fed generations have been replaced by concrete shells. The skyline of several towns competes not with the beauty of the horizon, but with cranes and towers that rise without restraint.
Some call this progress. It is not. It is a slow self-destruction disguised as development. It is the illusion of prosperity built upon the silent suffering of creation.
Laudato Si’ calls this “rapidification” (Laudato Si’, 18) – the accelerated pace of change that leaves no time for reflection, no space for the natural rhythm of life, and no concern for long-term sustainability.
The care for creation: an expression of our faith
Our environment is not an optional concern. It is the foundation of our health, our economy, and our very identity. To degrade it is to wound our own soul.
When we poison the sea with waste, we harm our future. When we cover fertile soil with asphalt, we steal from our children. When we silence the song of birds with the roar of bulldozers, we are silencing a part of creation’s praise to God.
Pope Francis reminds us that “the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor” (Laudato Si’, 2). Malta’s beauty is not an infinite resource. It is fragile, finite, and irreplaceable. Once lost, it cannot be rebuilt – no matter how advanced our technology or how impressive our architectural designs.
To care for creation, then, is not merely an act of environmentalism; it is an expression of faith, a recognition that the earth is a sacred gift entrusted to our care.
Ecology and justice – one single struggle
Laudato Si’ insists that “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’, 49) are one and the same. Environmental protection is not simply about trees and plants; it is about justice.
It is about the elderly, the poor, and children who suffer first when air quality deteriorates, when green spaces vanish, and when housing becomes unaffordable because of speculative greed.
To protect creation is to defend human dignity. It is to affirm that the earth, our common home, belongs to everyone – not only to those with the power or privilege to exploit it.
Thus, when we speak of safeguarding creation in Malta, we are also speaking of social equity, of urban well-being, of access to nature for all, and of the right of every citizen to live in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
The call to ecological conversion
We urgently need what Laudato Si’ calls “an ecological conversion” (Laudato Si’, 217) – a national and personal conversion of heart.
We must rediscover our roots as a people who have always depended on the sea, the soil, and the air. We once lived with a deep sense of moderation, of gratitude, of respect for the rhythms of nature. That wisdom has not vanished – it lies dormant, waiting to be rekindled.
To cultivate this conversion means to live differently: to consume responsibly, to choose simplicity over excess, to treat nature not as a commodity to exploit, but as a sacred trust to safeguard. The encyclical reminds us: “We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us” (Laudato Si’, 67). Humility, gratitude, and restraint are the foundations of ecological virtue.
Accountability and the courage to change
Conversion of heart must be matched by a conversion of policy. We need accountability. Enforcement must be rigorous, planning decisions transparent, and economic growth redefined to include the health of the earth. Every major project should be measured not merely by profit margins, but by its impact on life – human and non-human alike.
We need leaders with courage to say “no” to reckless exploitation, and citizens with conviction to demand better. Reforming planning policies should make things better, not worse. Our economy must serve life, not consume it.
A human right
In 2022, Malta voted in favour of the United Nations resolution recognising the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. That declaration is not symbolic – it is a moral commitment.
A human right, says Malta! Then let our actions reflect it. Let us act with wisdom, coherence, and courage to make that right real for every person who lives in Malta and breathes Maltese air.
A vision for the future
We are called to move from exploitation to stewardship, from ownership to care, from short-term gain to long-term vision.
Imagine a Malta where urban planning respects ecological limits, where architecture blends with the landscape rather than suffocates it, where renewable energy is not a dream but a norm, where young people learn to see creation not as an obstacle to progress, but as the very ground of life itself.
This is not a utopia. It is the only sustainable future possible for our islands. I would like to show my appreciation and gratitude to the Interdiocesan Environment Commission, and to several other organisations and individuals, who are driven by this vision, and I would like to encourage them to continue working actively for sustainable initiatives.
Guardians, not destroyers
Dear friends, the challenge of Laudato Si’ is not merely to think green, but to live responsibly, act justly, and love deeply.
May we be remembered:
- not as destroyers, but as guardians of creation.
- not as consumers of beauty, but as its protectors.
- not as people who built ever higher walls of concrete, but as a community that rediscovered the harmony between God, humanity, and nature.
May the words of Pope Francis be our guide and our hope: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (Laudato Si’, 217).
Let us, therefore, rise to the challenge. Let Malta once again become not a scarred land, but a song of praise – an island where we all care for our common home.
✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi
Auxiliary Bishop of Malta