Malta archbishop fears ‘Equality Bill’ would undermine religious freedom

November 08, 2016

A proposed “Equality Bill” in Malta would restrict the freedom of the Church, warns Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

The archbishop said that the Church supports efforts to protect the dignity of all people and to eliminate discrimination. However, he said that the proposed legislation goes beyond the existing directives issued by the European Union. Archbishop Scicluna has scheduled a meeting with Helena Dalli, the government’s minister for social dialogue, to discuss his concerns.

Analysts have suggested that the Equality Bill could be interpreted as saying that a person or institution engaged in “harassment” by promoting the view that marriage is a union of one man and one woman, or that sexual activity should be confined to marriage. Particularly because the burden of proof would be on the accused, the bill could infringe on the right to express religious beliefs.

The constitution of Malta ensures that leaders of the Catholic Church have the right and duty to promote the teachings of the Church, and the Catholic faith is taught in all public schools. Catholicism is the established religion of the little island nation, where about 98% of the population is Catholic.

 

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Further information:

• Equality Bill encroaches on religious freedom of the Church – Archbishop Scicluna (Independent)