Articles

Powerful informal networks risk state capture

The Archbishop’s address at this year’s State of the Nation Conference deserves our full attention. To those who will accuse him of hypocrisy, when referring to how reputation is hard to build but so easily lost he himself acknowledged that: “I’m acutely aware that the Church is not immune to this. And we have an unfortunate habit of learning this painful lesson the hard way.”

The most striking statement of his address was this: “When informal networks become more powerful than formal institutions, the danger is no longer simply corruption… Read more »

What kind of Malta are we building?

In June, the Maltese Episcopal Conference established the Interdiocesan Commission for Promoting Integral Human Development (IHD). It brings together the invaluable work previously carried out by the Justice and Peace Commission and the Environment Commission under one vision: promoting the dignity of every human person and the care of creation as our common home.

The commission’s remit includes issues relating to work, the economy, poverty and environmental justice… Read more »

Season of Creation 2026: From Faith to Action

From 1 September to 4 October, Christians around the world mark the Season of Creation, an ecumenical initiative inviting us to deepen our relationship with God the Creator, with one another and with the world entrusted to our care. The season concludes on the feast of St Francis of Assisi and, in 2026, takes on particular significance as we mark the 800th anniversary of his death… Read more »

Stop

“Nature is screaming. Stop! Stop!”

These words from Pope Francis in documentary The Letter: A Message for Our Earth are no longer a warning about a distant future. They describe the reality unfolding before our very eyes.

This summer has brought record-breaking heatwaves. Wildfires have devastated large parts of the Mediterranean. Sea temperatures have reached unprecedented levels… Read more »

Magnifica Humanitas: 7 key questions

On May 15th, Pope Leo XIV issued the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (MH), offering the guiding principles needed to confront some of the most pressing questions humanity faces in this age of artificial intelligence:

1) Where are we heading?

Without deliberate and urgent intervention, Leo XIV warns us that we risk what he calls the “Babel syndrome” — a world enslaved to profit, where human difference is flattened into data and a single digital logic claims to explain everything, even the mystery of the human person… Read more »

Integral Human Development – Origins & Meaning

In Catholic Social Teaching, the concept of Integral Human Development (IHD) was first introduced in the 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio[1]. Pope Paul VI insisted that development cannot be limited to mere economic growth. In order to be authentic, it must be complete, integral. In other words, it has to promote the good of every person and of the whole person[2]… Read more »

Forty representatives of Justice & Peace Europe gathered in Vilnius

The Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions (Justice and Peace
Europe) concluded its annual International Workshop and General Assembly that took
place from 3 to 6 October 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The gathering was centred around
the theme “Hope for Peace in Europe”.

The programme included meetings with members of the Lithuanian Church, civil society and
youth, as well as political representatives and security experts… Read more »

Archbishop urges MCESD social partners to take action on affordable housing crisis

F’laqgħa tal‑Kunsill Malti għall‑Iżvilupp Ekonomiku u Soċjali (MCESD), l‑Arċisqof ta’ Malta Charles Scicluna, l‑Isqof Awżiljarju Joseph Galea‑Curmi flimkien mas‑Segretarju Parlamentari għad‑Djalogu Soċjali Andy Ellul u l‑Imsieħba Soċjali ddiskutew id‑dritt tal‑ħaddiema fis‑soċjetà Maltija.

Waqt il‑laqgħa, il‑Kummissjoni Ġustizzja u Paċi tal‑Arċidjoċesi ta’ Malta ddiskutiet ir‑rapport tagħha “Beyond GDP II ‑ Third Country Nationals in Malta: Sharing in our economic future or serving labour market interests?” li ħareġ f’Diċembru li għadda… Read more »

The Conclave: Called to Christ, Not to Faction

As the College of Cardinals convenes in the Sistine Chapel to elect the 267th Pope, the global Catholic community stands at a crossroads. This conclave, the most geographically diverse in history with 133 electors from around 70 countries, embodies the Church’s universal nature and its commitment to addressing the world’s pressing challenges.

Pope Francis reoriented the Church toward the margins. His papacy was marked by a fervent advocacy for the marginalised, environmental stewardship and a call for inclusivity within the Church… Read more »