Forging a Maltese State - projects of civilization articulated in the clash between Church and state in the period 1921-1964

Abstract

The Maltese people trace the origins of their Catholic faith to Saint Paul's shipwreck on their island, and therefore Catholicism, together with their language, have been construed as the formative, indeed unifying factors of their very identity. In 1921, Malta, then a British colony was given a constitution granting it its first self-government. Independence was only granted in 1964. In between these two moments, which in the wider ecclesiastical context coincide with first, Pacelli's tenure as Secretary of State and then, as Roman Pontiff, as well as the Second World War, the position of the Church in society generally, and which, specifically here in Malta changed significantly. The two poles, Church and State, had moved greatly, and their relationship had passed through the crucible of two politico-religious struggles. By the end of this period, it was increasingly evident that the Roman Catholic faith was no longer the unifying principle of a nation's identity. The issue was now how to determine the relationship between these two bodies; Church and State.