The Church and the Catholic press in Malta, 1830-1914

Abstract

Today we are living in an age dominated by the media. The media is an important source of gaining information on what is happening around the globe which is our homeland. A useful means of gaining information is still the newspaper. Some have the impression that the newspaper is a recent invention. But history contradicts this view. Newspapers have existed in this present form since the seventeenth century. The newspaper was preceded by the newsletters and the pamphlets which are much older. Journalism in Malta was born after the proclamation of Ordinance Number IV of 1839. This ordinance prohibited censorship. One should add that Malta had the first printing press in 1642. But printing, under the Hospitallers, was introduced with a sour note. Censorship was imposed with the result that 'all printed matter was subject to the censorship of the Grand Master or his delegate and the Inquisitor.' Rome through the Inquisitor controlled that no anti-religious books or pamphlets were published. The Church's reaction to the press was always hostile. In fact, as early as 1485, 'Archbishop Berthold von Henneberg asked the town council of Frankfurt to examine carefully the printed books to be exhibited at the Lenten Fair. ... ' In 1559, Pope Pius IV, instituted the Index Librorum prohibitorum which its very first victims were 'the writings of several cardinals. The Church in Malta, of course, shared these rigid lines vis-a-vis printing. When the 1836 Royal Commission was discussing the introduction of the free press, the Church organised a campaign to halt this introduction. But after 1839, the Church revised its policy. Printing became an important platform for the Church to air its views. Prominent priests within the hierarchy of the local Church became intransigent journalists. Catholic institutions gave a helping hand in defending the Church's policies. This change in mentality is the aim behind this dissertation. The Church used the press to strengthen its position within the local society. The Catholic newspapers campaigned for the local Church against the Protestant and the Italian refugee's threats. These threats made possible the emergence of the Catholic journalism. Catholic journalism devotes its attention to the needs of the Church. The Catholic press does not operate in a vacuum and this can be seen from the fact that it emerges strongly in times of turbulence for the Church. The Church is presented as a perfect institution which is always right. Catholic journalism incorporated at least two kinds of newspapers. The first kind defended the Church by responding in a militant way the articles against the Church that were published in antagonist newspapers. The second kind was of a purely religious nature. This type of Catholic journalism explained and propagated the basic beliefs of the Church. One should also add that a Catholic newspaper can be either lay or clerical or a combination of both. With these two kinds, one should add the third kind. In a country like Malta, where Catholicism was the order of the day, the only newspapers that were not Catholic were the Protestant ones. But these papers focused their attention on the political matters. This dissertation focuses its attention on the first two types of Catholic journalism. The local Catholic journalism is being studied against a European background. In Europe, Catholic journalism was an important reality. By the end of the nineteenth century, one notes an important shift in Catholic journalism Besides advocating the role of the Church in society, Catholic journalism campaigned for workers' rights at a time of economic mischief Catholic journalism was not confined only to the period understudy. The Church State relations which developed during the twentieth century, made Catholic journalism a possible flowing enterprise. Even today, in Malta, when the Church-State relations are generally tranquil, Catholic journalism still survives. The Catholic press, nowadays, continues to exist in the several Catholic countries. The reason for this is that the Church recognizes the benefits which can be gained from the press for its existence. This fact was even recognized by several Popes. Popes like Pius X and Paul VI have spoken enthusiastically of Catholic journalism.