Secularisation and its impact on the Maltese society

Abstract

Throughout its history, the Maltese Catholic Church always sought to keep its privileges and its role amongst the Maltese society. With the help of the Maltese people, it opposed rules and decisions taken by the foreign rulers of Malta. With the creation of a Maltese government, the local Church found itself being attacked for its political role. This has similarly occurred in mainland Europe throughout the centuries, where various Kings and rulers tried to undermine the temporal power that the Pope in Rome had. Through such power, Rome had even monopolised education by fighting against the publications of new scientific discoveries. But with the spread of the Enlightenment, the end of the Divine Rule and the Pope's power being confined to the Vatican, the situation changed and the Church focused more on its moral teachings, as was defined in the Vatican Council II. When looking at the Maltese history, it is inevitable to say that after the political-religious conflicts, which left an impact on its role, the local Church is now facing a much bigger challenge since it is facing challenges not by the local authorities but by sectors of society. In the last few decades there was the acceptance by the society of changing family situations and new 'secular' ideas. This is the result of foreign influence coming from the media, foreign pressure groups, globalisation and other factors.