Mintoff versus the ecclesiastical authorities (1948-1964)

Abstract

The subject I will be treating with tends to be rather controversial, as its results, whether beneficial or otherwise, are still being felt to the present day. Therefore, I aim at limiting myself, as far as possible, to the general sequence of facts. I have chosen this chronological way of relating, because I do not intend to make a complicated analysis of this theme. I will leave this task to others in the future. In presenting this project, I have not attempted to re-open any breaches or smooth-over troubled surfaces - my role is simply that of a narrator who is trying to highlight certain aspects of a well-known, but painstaking conflict. A very similar situation to the one I will be tackling, was the “Strickland-Church” conflict of the 1930's. Jeremy Boissevain, who is worth quoting in this context, aptly observed the similarity between the course of both conflicts with the church. - "Both took place after relatively long (for Malta) periods of representative governments. Both involved a series of rather petty disputes which became progressively more bitter and divided the country. Both culminated in the church imposing sanctions which ultimately led to the electoral defeat of its opponents. In each case, approximately one third of the population chose to face church sanctions rather than abandon its political leaders. Most of the actual incidents which provoked the disputes were quite out of proportion to the “conflict they created". Although my study terminates with the granting of Independence in 1964, yet, this by no means saw the end of the controversy. Rather reluctantly, I was obliged to end my dissertation at this stage because of the time-limit. Notwithstanding, in the epilogue, I attempted to insert - very concisely - as much material as was relevant to the subject. My first Chapter is a prelude to what comes after. It deals with the situation that existed when Mintoff came into power, under the Boffa Government, as Minister for Public Buildings and Works, and Deputy Leader in 1948. It then moves on to his attaining supremacy within the Labour Party and finally within the 1955 election, itself. In my second Chapter, I ventured closer to the subject. Here, the struggle gradually gains momentum_, until it finally merges onto interdiction and its results. Naturally, giving a more bitter tang to the controversy. In this chapter, the position from the eve of the Integration Referendum to its aftermath, with all its upheavals and counterpoised attacks, can be glimpsed. The Labour Party, then, resigns from power in 1958 and takes a firm stand against the British Government. Meanwhile, the conflict between the M.L.P. and the church intensifies itself. The final chapter deals, in the main, with the 1962 election - before and after, and Mintoff's proposed amendments to the Draft Constitution for the new state of Malta. These, later known as the "Six points”, aroused a torrent of rebellion from all quarters of the two islands. To my knowledge, no work, dealing with this specific topic has yet been published. However, both sides, i.e., the Curia and the Labour Party, have published various pamphlets about this controversy. But being from the two parties involved, in the question, some kind of bias is bound to be present. Therefore, their publications cannot be considered as an impartial source. I have drawn my facts from newspapers of the diverse political parties and lay organizations, as also from the foreign newspapers, which dealt with the question, at the time. In addition, I consulted books and various reports of the commissions, conferences, parliamentary debates, etc. Before concluding this introductory note, I would like to express my grateful thanks to my tutor, the Very Reverend Professor A.P. Vella for his kind consideration and co-operation in lending me his personal collection pertaining to this subject. His guidance and encouragement are greatly appreciated. Finally, my special thanks go to my fiancé, Robert, and my sister, Mercedes, for their patience in helping me with the lay-out of my project.