Religion and the 1921 Constitution : genesis and implications

Abstract

When Charles Cameron, the first Civil Commissioner under British Rule, issued his famous Address to the Maltese on July 15th, 1801 his main intention was that of calming the minds of the people irritated by the artful means of French cabals. Convinced of "the attachment of the Maltese to their monasteries" and their Religion in general, he assured them that His Britannic Majesty would protect their Churches, their Holy Religion, their person, and their property. Cameron himself went as far as to suggest that, in order to ally Maltese feelings, the Bishop of Malta would be declared "Metropolitan, and the Roman Catholic Religion the established Church, as is the case in Canada". That the Roman Catholic Church was part and parcel of the Maltese scene could never be doubted by any of our colonisers. The scope of this dissertation covers an important aspect of the life of both the Church and the Maltese nation in the interaction there has always been between them. The interaction between Church and Maltese society during the British Rule was subject to particular conditions con-natural with the fact that the Imperial Britannic Authorities, far removed from the mentality of the continent, were necessary outsiders to this relationship. Albeit certain measures like the Mortmain Law of 1822 were specifically intended to control the influence of the Church in Malta, the British in Malta were pragmatic enough to face the social reality and never alienate the populace by dealing with the Church with an unnecessarily heavy hand. The Church itself was eager not to have its status guo eroded and given that the support of the populace was assured, exerted its true mettle in moments of crises and usually never shied away from asserting itself when matters of principle, doctrine or liberty of action were involved [...].