Mark Montebello's blog

Il-hajja tal-knisja ma tikkonsistix biss f’esperjenzi spiritwali. Dan kien ikun minnu li kieku kienet biss mixja ta’ fidi minn nies individwali. Imma l-knisja hija wkoll istituzzjoni ― kbira u kumplessa ― u dan ifisser li ghandha wkoll aspett politiku li jinfluwenzalha l-ezistenza u l-hajja taghha. Huwa dan l-aspett li jinteressana hawnhekk; u, partikularment, it-tbeghid tieghu mill-vizjoni socjali li garrab sa millanqas dawn l-ahhar tliet snin. 1. Liema sejha socjali? L-analizi socjo-politika tal-hajja istituzzjonali tal-knisja hafna drabi tigi injorata mill-kattolici bhallikieku ma tezistix jew ma tinteressahomx. Però, hija fundamentali biex wiehed jibqa’ jifhem kif l-istituzzjoni tipprogetta lilha nnifisha fid-dinja kontemporanja u kif tfassal il-politika taghha, anki f’affarijiet li jmissu hwejjeg spiritwali jew duttrinali. Fir-rigward tal-vizjoni socjali li l-knisja zviluppat f’dawn l-ahhar 120 sena, wiehed jista’ jilmah caqlieq konsiderevoli. Essenzjalment u fi ftit kliem, ...

Fil-21 ta’ Dicembru li ghadda, it-tragedja ta’ Lockerbie ghalqet 20 sena minn mindu sehhet. F’dan il-jum, fl-1988, ajruplan tal-Pan Am twaqqa’ fuq ir-rahal ta’ Lockerbie, fl-Iskozja. Flimkien mal-270 ruh abbord, mietu wkoll hdax-il persuna fuq l-art minn dan ir-rahal. “Inti innocenti!” L-istorja tar-riperkussjonijiet politici ta’ wara dan id-dizastru, kif ukoll ta’ l-investigazzjoni u l-process kriminali ta’ dawk li gew akkuzati bil-qerda ta’ dan l-ajruplan u bil-mewt kerha ta’ dawn il-persuni, hija forsi tragika daqs l-incident terribbli nnifsu. L-interessi politici li ddahhlu f’din l-istorja, u l-manuvrar li dawn gabu maghhom, ghamlu minn din l-istorja serje bla qtugh ta’ tghawwig, tbaghbis u tbatijiet. Il-persuna ewlenija li, fl-ahhar mill-ahhar, giet akkuzata ghal din it-tragedja, Abelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, jinsab fil-habs ta’ Greenock, l-Iskozja, b’sentenza ta’ ghomru l-habs. Però, qed jistenna li, aktar tard din is-sena, jinstemaghlu l-appell tal-kaz tieghu; u aktarx ...

F’dawn l-ahhar gimghatejn, it-tragedja tat-territorji okkupati tal-Palestina minn Israel kompliet b’zviluppi devastanti. Wara attakki missilistici fuq Israel attribwiti lill-organizzazzjoni Hamas, ghal gimgha shiha l-Israeliti bbumbardjaw Gaza mill-ajru bla hniena. F’din l-ahhar gimgha, l-Israeliti assedjaw Gaza fuq l-art u holqu banju ta’ demm. U d-dinja thares gallarija. Misthija bla qjies Huwa inkredibbli kif Israel tithalla taghmel dawn il-massakri ta’ kuljum minghajr hadd mill-pajjizi jew l-istituzzjonijiet il-kbar ma jopponiha. Anzi, ir-realtà hi aghar minn hekk. Ir-realtà hi li Israel hija protetta mill-Istati Uniti, mill-Unjoni Ewropea u mill-Gnus Maghquda milli tinzamm responsabbli ta’ dawn il-massakri. Prattikament ghandha licenzja li taghmel li trid; u li trid qed taghmel. Hi x’inhi r-raguni ghala l-Israeliti assedjaw ’il Gaza, jibqa’ l-fatt li assolutament ma hemmx proporzjon fl-assedju li qeghdin jaghmlu. Qed jattakkaw b’salvagizmu biered u b’barbarità inimmaginabbli...

Edward Schillebeeckx O.P. dies at 95 Two days before Christmas, the Dominican theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx, died at Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, after a short illness. He was 95. Widely considered one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the 20th century, Schillebeeckx played a significant role in the preparation of Vatican Council II. Afterwards, he continued to give his share to keep alive the council’s spirit and thought. Though originally from Belgium, Schillebeeckx spend his whole adult life in the Netherlands. Before becoming a Dominican, he fought in World War II, leaving the army to enter the convent after the defeat of the Belgian forces to the Nazis. While studying in Paris, he came under the influence of other great Dominican theologians of the 20th century, Marie-Dominique Chenu and Yves Congar, as well as that of the great Calvinist theologian, Karl Barth. In the 1950s, while teaching dogmatic theology at Louvain and Nijmegan, Schillebeeckx became known for hi...

L-irvellijiet li sehhew fil-Grecja fil-gimghat li ghaddew kienu inkomprensibbli ghal hafna. Xi whud fostna rawhom bhala esagerati. Ohrajn, bla bzonn. Dan mhuwiex ta’ l-istaghgib. Ghax ahna m’ghandniex sens ta’ sensibbiltà civika bhalma ghandhom xi whud minn pajjizi ohra ta’ l-Ewropa, inkluz il-Grecja, jew tad-dinja. Ahna poplu gwejjed li noqoghdu ghal kollox. Ghal kollox. Ghala gwejdin? Li tghid li xi hadd huwa gwejjed generalment hu kumpliment, mhux tmaqdir. Imma f’dan il-kaz, meta nghid li l-poplu taghna huwa gwejjed, ma nifhimhiex bhala kumpliment, imma bhala nuqqas serju li huwa effett ta’ difett qawwi fil-karattru nazzjonali taghna. Ahna noqoghdu ghal kollox. Ingergru kemm trid u kemm nifilhu. Imma mbaghad ma naghmlu xejn. Qisna hafna klieb jinbhu minghajr ma jigdmu. Ghaliex dan? Ghax nibzghu minn dellna? Le, ma nahsibx. Nahseb li l-problema taghna hija li, fil-fatt, m’ghandniex sens civiku zviluppat bizzejjed li jgeghilna noqomsu meta naraw li l-istituzzjonijiet tal-pajjiz ...