Il-Knisja u l-Istat fit-18 -il seklu

Abstract

Since the coming of the knights of Malta, the Bishop and the higher clerics of the Island began to fear that now they were going to lose their grip over the Maltese people. So they prepared themselves to use the privilleges they had - of local and personal immunity - to defend their position against what they saw as threatening rule of the Grandmaster. This situation aggravated itself in the 18th century, particularly when the Grandmaster and Bishop did all their utmost to increase their grip over the population of Malta. In the meantime, the Inquisitor, as the Pope's delegate, should have tried to pour all over troubled waters and informed the Pope about what was going on in the Island.