News

Pro-business at all cost or pro-community?

Reaction by the Church Environment Commission

28/09/2018

  • Like so many other citizens, the Church Environment Commission (KA) is baffled by the decision of the Planning Authority (PA) to approve the extensive project proposed by db Group at St George’s Bay. The KA, like other concerned citizens, had already tabled its objections for the development in its communication dated 30th May 2018.[1] At this point in time, rather than repeating the objections, the KA feels that this decision warrants answers to some serious questions:

    • How can the PA reconcile its decision with its mission of “acting on behalf of the community to provide a balanced and sustainable environment,”[2] when one considers the thousands of objections levelled against this development that were disregarded? …

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Maltese Christians prepare for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020

28/09/2018

  • Kif kien imħabbar kmieni din is-sena, il-Knejjes Insara f’Malta ġew afdati li jħejju l-materjal għall-Ġimgħa ta’ Talb għall-Għaqda fost l-Insara tas-sena 2020.

    Grupp ta’ 14-il parteċipant immexxi minn Mons. Prof. Hector Scerri, iltaqghu bejn Frar u Mejju li għadda biex iħejju l-abbozz tal-materjal kollu. Ir-rappreżentanti kienu jinkludu Kattoliċi, Anglikani, Presbiterjani, Luterani u Ortodossi f’Malta. Il-materjal intbaghat barra minn Malta biex jiġi evalwat…

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Pre-Synod meeting was ‘life-changing’ for young participant

28/09/2018

  • The Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment will take place in the Vatican from 3-28 October. Katie Prejean McGrady was one of three young people chosen by the US Bishops Conference (USCCB) to participate in the pre-Synodal meeting in Rome in March of 2018. She spoke about her experience during the USCCB annual Spring General Assembly, calling it an “honor to represent the US”…

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Law precludes discussion of a collective matter with non-recognised union

27/09/2018

With reference to the directives issued to education grades in Church Schools,
the Secretariat for Catholic Education would like to clarify that UPE, whilst being a registered trade union, does not hold recognition for collective bargaining on such employees. UPE is in breach of article 5 of the Recognition of Trade Union Regulations 2016 which states that, “once a union is recognised as the sole collective bargaining union, no other union may intervene on a collective matter related to the employees concerned with the employer”. 

Whilst affirming that UPE are incorrect in their claims, in the current context the same legislative regulations preclude the Secretariat for Catholic Education from engaging in any discussions with UPE on matters of a collective nature. 

The Secretariat and Church Schools value the individual members of their communities, including learners, their families and especially employees, on whom the system relies to provide a high quality educational service. This is manifested in a continuous effort to provide the best possible working conditions which are also reflected in the improved conditions agreed upon with the recognised union.  Read more »

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Donation of paintings by artist Joseph Calleja

27/09/2018


  • L‑artist Malti ta’ fama internazzjonali Joseph Calleja ta b’donazzjoni lill‑Arċidjoċesi ta’ Malta 15‑il pittura tiegħu mis‑serje “Is‑Sagrifiċċju tal‑Ħrief”. Dawn il‑pitturi nħadmu fuq medda ta’ 15‑il sena, bl‑etika u l‑fidi jkunu ż‑żewġ temi ewlenin ta’ dan ix‑xogħol artistiku.

    “Is‑Sagrifiċċju tal‑Ħrief” juru l‑ħaruf tas‑sagrifiċċju sa minn żmien il‑qedem sal‑ħrief tas‑sagrifiċċju tal‑ġurnata tal‑lum impoġġija fuq l‑altari tal‑kunflitti u l‑gwerer…

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Premier: Augustine, the Son of her Tears

26/09/2018

  • L-Aid to the Church in Need (Malta), b’kollaborazzjoni mal-Istitut Agostinjan, qed tippreżenta film straordinarju! Film dwar wieħed mill-akbar Qaddisin tal-Knisja Kattolika. Dan qed jiġi interpretat minn atturi Musulmani mill-Alġerija u t-Tuneżija taħt it-tmexxija tal-President tal-SOHT Film Production & Global Distribution, Henri Aoun. Din hija tabilħaqq inizjattiva innovattiva xxerred aktar spirtu ta’ rispett fost il-popli ta’ kulturi u reliġjonijiet differenti…

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Pope Francis to Chinese Catholics: Faith changes history

26/09/2018

  • The Message of Pope Francis—announced Wednesday morning at the General Audience—begins with a word of encouragement for Chinese Catholics, who, he says, “are daily present” in his prayers. He recalls the words of Jesus, earlier quoted by Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Chinese faithful: “Fear not, little flock” (Lk, 12:32).

    Confusion from a flurry of opinions

    The Pope immediately goes to the heart of the question:

    Of late, many conflicting reports have circulated about the present and, in particular, the future of the Catholic communities in China…

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Plexus 2018 – Highlights

A youth leader conference in response to Pope Francis' call to evangelisation

25/09/2018

  • Plexus 2018 is an annual youth leader conference organised by the Malta Catholic Youth Network (MCYN). This year’s conference, entitled “With Jesus in the Peripheries”, focused on equipping local youth leaders to reach out to those individuals on the fringes of society. Watch the video below for highlights from the event.

  • During the conference a document was drafted summarising the challenges encountered by local youth leaders in bringing the Gospel to the peripheries, as well as a collective vision for the way forward…

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Romanian bishops support the referendum on redefinition of family

25/09/2018

  • Changing the definition of marriage as provided in the Constitution: it’s the purpose of a constitutional referendum that will take place in Romania on October 6-7 on an initiative of the Coalition for Families, an umbrella organization representing 30 NGOs in Romania, including Catholic organizations such as Catholic Action and the Family Association in Romania. The Catholic bishops of Romania have also expressed their full support to the initiative with an Exhortation to priests and Catholic faithful, which is also addressed to all people of good will, with an invitation to back the referendum…

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Pope remembers Lithuanian freedom fighters and victims of occupations

24/09/2018

  • Pope Francis on Sunday ended his two-day apostolic visit to Lithuania with a visit to the KGB Museum in Vilnius where he decried the suffering brought about by complete domination and unrestrained ambition during three occupations. Following the collapse of the Russian and Prussian monarchies at the end of the World War I, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia declared their independence in 1918…

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