It-Tnejn, 21 ta’ Settembru 2026: Omelija mill-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna f’Jum l-Indipendenza. Konkatiral ta’ San Ġwann, Valletta.
Omelija mill-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna
Għeżież ħuti,
Illum irroddu ħajr lil Alla għal Malta maħbuba tagħna, għal-libertà li writna u għal dawk li tant ssagrifikaw sabiex pajjiżna jkun jista’ jiddeċiedi l-futur tiegħu stess.
Iżda l-indipendenza hija aktar minn kisba tal-imgħoddi. Hi responsabbiltà fdata lil kull ġenerazzjoni. Il-libertà tagħtina l-possibbiltà li nsawru l-futur tagħna, u l-għerf jiddetermina jekk insawruhx tajjeb.
Fl-Evanġelju tal-lum, Ġesù jagħtina xbieha tassew prattika:
“Min minnkom ikun irid jibni torri u ma joqgħodx bilqiegħda biex l-ewwel nett iqis in-nefqa, ħalli jara għandux biżżejjed biex iwassal sal-aħħar?” (Lq 14:28).
Ġesù qed jitkellem dwar id-dixxipulat. Iżda kliemu jfakkarna wkoll fil-virtù tal-prudenza: il-ħila li nagħrfu dak li hu tassew tajjeb, li nħarsu ’l quddiem u nagħżlu bil-għaqal.
Din hija virtù importanti mhux biss għall-individwi, iżda wkoll għal dawk li huma fdati bit-tmexxija ta’ nazzjon.
Malta nbidlet ħafna f’dawn l-aħħar snin. L-ekonomija tagħna kibret, l-impjiegi żdiedu, u nies minn ħafna pajjiżi kkontribwew il-ħiliet u x-xogħol tagħhom għall-prosperità tagħna u għas-servizzi essenzjali.
Għal dan għandna nkunu grati, iżda l-iżvilupp mgħaġġel u ż-żieda fil-popolazzjoni jġibu magħhom ukoll konsegwenzi. It-toroq tagħna, l-akkomodazzjoni, il-provvista tal-elettriku, is-sistemi tad-drenaġġ, l-immaniġġjar tal-iskart, il-kura tas-saħħa u l-ambjent tagħna kollha jħossu l-pressjonijiet maħluqa minn ekonomija u popolazzjoni li dejjem qed jikbru.
Ġesù jgħid lill-bennej: qabel tibni, oqgħod bilqiegħda u kkalkula sew.
Din hi kapaċità li tipprevedi, u Malta għandha bżonnha.
Qabel ma nħeġġu aktar tkabbir fil-popolazzjoni u aktar żvilupp, ikkalkulajna kemm jistgħu jifilħu l-infrastruttura u l-ambjent tagħna, u qisna x’kwalità tal-ħajja għandhom in-nies li jgħixu hawn?
Id-diffikultajiet li esperjenzajna bl-elettriku, id-drenaġġ, il-konġestjoni tat-traffiku, l-iskart u l-kostruzzjoni bla waqfien ifakkruna li ma nistgħux dejjem nistennew li l-infrastruttura se tlaħħaq xorta magħhom.
Iżda l-prudenza u l-kapaċità li tipprevedi għandhom x’jaqsmu wkoll mal-istituzzjonijiet li fuqhom tiddependi soċjetà ħielsa u demokratika.
Fl-indirizz reċenti tiegħi fil-konferenza ‘L-Istat tan-Nazzjon’, tkellimt dwar il-ħsara li ssir lin-nazzjon tagħna u lir-reputazzjoni tiegħu minħabba allegazzjonijiet ta’ korruzzjoni u netwerks ta’ flus, poter, pjaċiri u protezzjoni.
Wissejt li meta netwerks informali jsiru aktar b’saħħithom mill-istituzzjonijiet tagħna, il-periklu jmur lil hinn minn atti individwali ta’ korruzzjoni. Dawn isiru theddida għall-integrità — u fl-aħħar mill-aħħar għall-indipendenza — tan-nazzjon innifsu; nazzjon li jappartjeni lilna lkoll, irrespettivament mill-kulur politiku u t-twemmin tagħna.
Fid-dawl ta’ dan l-episodju ta’ wġigħ kbir għal pajjiżna, xi nies għażlu li jiffukaw fuq il-preġudizzji u n-narrattiva tagħhom jew xi skumditajiet żgħar. Jien nippreferi naħseb f’dawk li qed iġorru ġrieħi profondi li ma jistgħux sempliċement jitħassru bi ftit insulti jew bi kliem imħejji bir-reqqa: bħall-familja ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia, li wara disa’ snin ta’ wġigħ għadha tfittex ġustizzja sħiħa għall-qtil faħxi tagħha; u l-ħafna nies tajbin f’pajjiżna li tilfu l-fiduċja fl-istituzzjonijiet għax jibżgħu li dawn qed jaqdu netwerks ta’ flus u ta’ poter, minflok lin-nies li għalihom inħolqu biex jagħtu servizz.
L-appell tiegħi huwa lil dawk li huma fdati b’responsabbiltà pubblika, u lilna lkoll li għandna d-dmir niżguraw li l-istituzzjonijiet tagħna jibqgħu aktar b’saħħithom mill-interessi li jistgħu jippruvaw jinfluwenzawhom. Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar, din mhix kwistjoni ta’ politika. Hi ferm akbar minn hekk. Hi dwar x’tip ta’ pajjiż irridu li Malta tkun, u jekk il-poplu jistax jafda lill-istituzzjonijiet tagħha biex jaqdih b’indipendenza, kuraġġ u integrità.
U dak li nitolbu mill-Istat, aħna fil-Knisja rridu wkoll inkunu ugwalment lesti li nitolbuh minna nfusna.
Kif spiss għidt meta tkellimt dwar il-ħarsien tat-tfal, il-prudenza u l-abbiltà li tipprevedi l-futur huma inkompatibbli mal-omertà, jew ma’ arranġamenti li jimponu s-skiet fuq il-vittmi jew il-familji tagħhom.
It-trasparenza, il-previżjoni (foresight) u l-kontabbiltà għandhom ikunu valuri fil-governanza kemm tal-Istat kif ukoll tal-Knisja. Meta aħna, bħala mexxejja fi ħdan il-Knisja, infallu f’din ir-responsabbiltà, ix-xhieda tagħna tiġi fix-xejn u l-ministeru tagħna jiġi imminat.
L-istess spirtu ta’ responsabbiltà u previżjoni għandu jmexxi l-għażliet li nagħmlu dwar il-futur ta’ pajjiżna, inklużi mistoqsijiet diffiċli dwar kif tiżviluppa Malta, kemm tikber malajr u kif jiġi mmaniġġjat dak it-tkabbir.
Tkabbir mgħaġġel fil-popolazzjoni jitfa’ pressjoni fuq l-akkomodazzjoni, il-kura tas-saħħa u r-riżorsi. Madankollu, il-persuna umana qatt ma għandha titqies bħala l-problema. La t-tfal, la l-familji u lanqas il-migranti mhuma unitajiet ekonomiċi jew statistiċi demografiċi.
Malta bbenefikat ħafna mill-ħaddiema barranin, li ħafna minnhom jieħdu ħsieb l-anzjani u l-morda tagħna u jipprovdu servizzi li niddependu fuqhom. Jistħoqqilhom il-gratitudni tagħna, iżda wkoll il-ġustizzja. Migrant mhuwiex sempliċiment par idejn. L-ebda mudell ekonomiku m’għandu jiddependi fuq nies li jaċċettaw kundizzjonijiet li aħna nqisu inaċċettabbli għalina nfusna jew għal uliedna.
Fl-istess waqt, irridu nistaqsu jekk tkabbir kontinwu u sostanzjali fil-popolazzjoni huwiex sostenibbli għal gżejjer tad-daqs tagħna. Għandna ninvestu fin-nies tagħna stess filwaqt li nilqgħu ħaddiema barranin fejn tassew hemm bżonnhom u nittrattawhom b’dinjità.
F’Jum l-Indipendenza, għandna nistaqsu wkoll kif inkejlu s-suċċess nazzjonali.
It-tkabbir ekonomiku, l-investiment u l-impjiegi huma importanti. Iżda l-Prodott Domestiku Gross ma jistax jgħidilna kollox dwar il-ġid u l-benesseri ta’ nazzjon.
Iż-żgħażagħ jistgħu jixtru dar diċenti? L-anzjani tagħna jistgħu jirċievu l-kura li jistħoqqilhom? Il-ħaddiema huma trattati b’dinjità? In-nies jistgħu jafdaw lill-istituzzjonijiet li nħolqu biex jaqduhom? Nistgħu nħarsu aktar spazji ħodor protetti? U Malta li se nħallu lil uliedna, se tkun mhux biss aktar għanja, iżda aħjar minn Malta li writna? B’dawn jitkejjel verament il-progress.
Governanza tajba teħtieġ analiżi onesta ta’ dak li nistgħu nħaddnu b’mod sostenibbli, istituzzjonijiet b’saħħithom biżżejjed biex jipproteġu l-ġid komuni, u nies fi ħdanhom li jaħdmu b’kuraġġ u lesti jqiegħdu d-dmir qabel il-flus, il-poter, il-ħbiberiji jew il-pjaċiri.
Lejn tmiem l-Evanġelju tal-lum, Ġesù jitkellem dwar il-melħ li jitlef it-togħma tiegħu. Kliemu jagħtina xbieha tal-aħħar għal pajjiżna. Malta m’għandhiex titlef it-togħma tagħha.
Fit-tfittxija għall-prosperità, m’għandniex nissagrifikaw dak li jagħmel dawn il-gżejjer post fejn tassew jixraq li ngħixu: l-ambjent tagħna, il-komunitajiet, il-wirt, l-ospitalità, is-solidarjetà, l-integrità u r-rispett għad-dinjità tal-bniedem.
L-Indipendenza tat lil Malta l-libertà li ssawwar il-futur tagħha. Ir-responsabbiltà tagħna hi li nsawruh bil-għaqal – u li nħarsu l-indipendenza u l-integrità tal-istituzzjonijiet li permezz tagħhom din il-libertà hi mħarsa.
Jalla l-Mulej jagħti l-għerf u l-prudenza lil dawk li jmexxuna; l-integrità u l-kuraġġ lil dawk fdati bl-istituzzjonijiet tagħna; il-ġustizzja lil dawk li jħaddmu lil ħaddieħor; il-ħniena lejn dawk li jiġu fostna; u lilna lkoll is-sens ta’ responsabbiltà għall-pajjiż fdat f’idejna.
Jalla l-Mulej jagħti wkoll lilna li ġejna fdati bit-tmexxija fil-Knisja tiegħu l-umiltà li nagħrfu n-nuqqasijiet tagħna, il-kuraġġ li nikkoreġuhom u l-għerf li dejjem inqiegħdu l-verità, il-ġustizzja u l-ħarsien tal-vulnerabbli fil-qalba tal-ministeru tagħna.
Jalla nibnu Malta li tkun prosperuża iżda sostenibbli, li tilqa’ iżda tkun ġusta, ambizzjuża iżda prudenti — Malta denja ta’ dawk li ġew qabilna u tal-ġenerazzjonijiet li għad iridu jiġu warajna.
Jalla l-Mulej ibierek lil Malta u lil dawk kollha li jsejħu dawn il-gżejjer darhom.
Foresight, Responsibility and The Common Good. Homily by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we give thanks to God for our beloved Malta, for the freedom we inherited and for those who sacrificed so much so that our country could determine its own future.
But independence is more than an achievement of the past. It is a responsibility entrusted to every generation. Freedom gives us the possibility to shape our future, wisdom determines whether we shape it well.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a strikingly practical image:
“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” (Lk 14:28)
Jesus is speaking about discipleship. But his words also remind us of the virtue of prudence: the capacity to recognise what is truly good, to look ahead and to choose wisely.
This is an important virtue not only for individuals, but also for those entrusted with governing a nation.
Malta has changed enormously in recent years. Our economy has expanded, employment has grown, and people from many countries have contributed their skills and labour to our prosperity and essential services.
For this we should be grateful… But rapid development and population growth also bring consequences. Our roads, housing, electricity supply, drainage and sewage systems, waste management, healthcare and environment all experience the pressures created by a growing economy and population.
Jesus tells the builder: before you build, sit down and calculate.
This is foresight, and Malta needs it.
Before encouraging further population growth and development, have we calculated what our infrastructure and environment can sustain and considered the quality of life of the people who live here?
The difficulties we have experienced with electricity, sewage, congestion, waste and relentless construction remind us that infrastructure cannot always be expected to catch up afterwards.
But prudence and foresight are also about the institutions upon which a free and democratic society depends.
In my recent address at the ‘State of the Nation’ conference, I spoke about the damage to our nation and its reputation from allegations of corruption and networks of money, influence, favours and protection.
I warned that when informal networks become more powerful than our institutions, the danger goes beyond individual acts of corruption. It becomes a threat to the integrity — and ultimately the independence — of the nation itself; a nation that belongs to us all irrespective of political colour or creed.
In the wake of this extremely painful episode for our country, some people chose to focus on their own bias, narrative or minor discomfort. I prefer to think of those carrying deep wounds that cannot simply be washed away by a few insults or carefully prepared words: like the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia, still seeking full justice for her heinous murder after nine painful years; and the many good people in our country who have lost faith in institutions they fear are serving networks of money and influence rather than the people they were created to serve.
My appeal is to those entrusted with public responsibility, and to all of us who have a duty to ensure that our institutions remain stronger than the interests that may seek to influence them. Ultimately, this is not about politics. It is much bigger than that. It is about what kind of country we want Malta to be, and whether people can trust its institutions to serve them with independence, courage and integrity.
And what we ask of the State, we in the Church must also be equally prepared to ask of ourselves.
As I have often said when discussing child protection, prudence and foresight are incompatible with omertà, or with arrangements that impose silence upon victims or their families.
Transparency, foresight and accountability must be values in the governance of both State and Church. When we, as leaders within the Church, fail in this responsibility, our witness sounds hollow and our ministry is compromised.
That same spirit of responsibility and foresight must guide the choices we make about our country’s future, including difficult questions about how Malta develops, how quickly it grows and how that growth is managed.
Rapid population growth places pressure on housing, healthcare and resources. Yet the human person must never be treated as the problem. Neither children, families nor migrants are economic units or demographic statistics.
Malta has benefited enormously from foreign workers, many of whom care for our elderly and sick and provide services on which we depend. They deserve our gratitude, but also justice. A migrant is not simply a pair of hands. No economic model should depend upon people accepting conditions we would consider unacceptable for ourselves or our children.
At the same time, we must ask whether continuous substantial population growth is sustainable for islands of our size. We should invest in our own people while welcoming foreign workers where genuinely needed and treating them with dignity.
On Independence Day, we should also ask how we measure national success.
Economic growth, investment and employment matter. But GDP cannot tell us everything about the wellbeing of a nation.
Can young people afford a decent home? Can our elderly receive the care they deserve? Are workers treated with dignity? Can people trust the institutions established to serve them? Can we preserve more protected green spaces? And will the Malta we leave our children be not merely richer, but better than the Malta we inherited? These are the real measures of progress.
Good governance requires an honest assessment of what we can sustainably support, institutions strong enough to protect the common good, and people within them with the courage to place duty above money, influence, friendship or favour.
Towards the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of salt losing its taste. His words offer us a final image for our country. Malta must not lose its flavour.
In pursuing prosperity, we must not sacrifice what makes these islands worth living in: our environment, communities, heritage, hospitality, solidarity, integrity and respect for human dignity.
Independence gave Malta the freedom to shape its future. Our responsibility is to shape it wisely – and to safeguard the independence and integrity of the institutions through which that freedom is protected.
May God grant wisdom and prudence to those who govern us; integrity and courage to those entrusted with our institutions; justice to those who employ others; compassion towards those who come among us; and to all of us responsibility for the country entrusted to our care.
May He also grant those of us entrusted with leadership in His Church the humility to recognise our failures, the courage to correct them and the wisdom always to place truth, justice and the protection of the vulnerable at the heart of our ministry.
May we build a Malta that is prosperous but sustainable, welcoming but just, ambitious but prudent – a Malta worthy of those who came before us and of the generations still to come.
May God bless Malta and all those who call these islands home.