Comparing corruption to woodworm, Archbishop Charles Scicluna warned against having a beautiful country from the outside but rotten from the inside.
In his homily during the daily televised mass which coincided with the Sette Giugno national day, the Archbishop said there is no justice if “things are concealed”.
Drawing on the metaphor of salt and light from today’s Gospel of Saint Matthew, Mgr Scicluna also warned against the normalisation of corruption in our daily lives.
The Archbishop noted that salt is also used to keep meat and food from rotting, “and salt became a symbol against corruption, against decay. On this national day it is worth praying that we do not do away with salt because when we do, all that we trust is being preserved, rots away.”
Mgr Scicluna added that “if we steal from one another, disobey laws, bribe public officials for a favour or bend the law,” we’ll end up with a rotten society.
“Beautiful on the outside and rotten on the inside”
“Corruption is the country’s woodworm, beautiful on the outside and rotten on the inside,” Archbishop Scicluna said as he recounted how his father, a carpenter, was once given a bench made out of beech wood which looked beautiful but would disintegrate if somebody sat on it because it had woodworm on the inside, “and the same applies for corruption.”
Salt and light, Mgr Scicluna said, are important metaphors for the country as he warned that “wherever things are concealed, wherever things are kept away from the light of the day, there is no justice.”
Recalling Pope Francis’ speech to the country’s authorities during his recent visit to Malta, Archbishop Scicluna said the Pontiff described Malta as “a mother dressed by brightest light”.
“But what light is it if we hide our scheming and the messes we create?” he asked as he went on to admonish legislators who do not hold themselves to account.
“Light also means that people are also held accountable by Parliament. It is unacceptable to appear in front of a Parliamentary committee and take everyone for a ride by not answering questions and bringing up a thousand excuses. That is not the light that Jesus Christ wants for our country.”
‘We must understand true meaning of Sette Giugno’
“Today we commemorate the victims of the Sette Giugno riots. Innocent people, some of whom were in Valletta by chance. Hearing and reading the stories of many of the victims is heart-wrenching,” Mgr Scicluna said.
“But at the same time, there was incitement, and this incitement is still with us today. On this day, we must also remember the great tragedy of social violence caused by incitement”, the Archbishop said, whilst explaining the importance of understanding the true meaning of Sette Giugno.
The Sette Giugno unrest came at a time when the Maltese wanted a greater say in determining their fate. “But now that we have complete control, we have no excuse, we can no longer blame the colonial power and the King and Queen. We only have ourselves to blame. What are we doing with the power we have gained?”
What are we commemorating today?
On 7 June 1919, just a few months after the end of World War 1, a series of riots by the Maltese population protesting against social unrest and food scarcity led to the killing of four civilians as British troops fired into the crowd.
The event played a key part in Malta obtaining its first constitution that had given the Maltese limited autonomy for the first time under the rule of an imperial government in 1921.
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