Dear brothers and sisters,

For the last three years, unfortunately we were unable to celebrate this Mass at our national Shrine, on the eve of Gibraltar Day, to honour our Lady of Europe as our patron, always seeking her protection.  Three years ago, it was due to road works near the Shrine that kept us from celebrating here, and the following two years it was due to the pandemic that have gripped us and the whole world.  Today I am very glad that it is possible to celebrate this Eucharist in the presence of a congregation.  This is a tradition that needs to be kept.  I thank you for coming to honour our Lady once again on such a special day for Gibraltar, and to thank her for her protection and help in all the challenges that we have faced and which we will face in the future as a community.

In the Gospels, Mary appears as a woman of few words, but with an attentive gaze capable of guarding the life and mission of her Son.  She uttered four sentences in the gospels, and two of them are related: ‘Be it done to me according to your word’ to the Angel Gabriel when he announced to her and ‘Do what he tells you’ in the Wedding at Cana.  She accepted to do God’s will, and she is telling us also to accept in our lives God’s will.

Her maternal role in the history of salvation has been affirmed clearly by the present Pope who declared Mary Mother of the Church as a feast to be celebrated the day after Pentecost, certainly due to her presence in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Church was born [referring to the reading from the Act of the Apostles just read].  From that day she was actively the mother of the Church.

The maternal vocation and mission of the Virgin towards those who believe in Christ actually began when Jesus said to her when he was crucified “Woman behold your son”.

The words [from the Gospel just read] addressed by the crucified Lord to his disciple, to John and through him to all disciples of Jesus: “Behold your mother”, are fulfilled anew in every generation.  Mary has truly become the mother of all believers.

From the earliest times of the Church, the faithful turned to Mary in prayer for her help, protection and intercession.  The oldest prayer ‘Sub tuum praesidium’, dates back to the third Century. It is a prayer that invokes Mary’s protection on her children and to help us in our trials and tribulations.  Pope Francis urged us to recite this prayer daily, considering the dangers the world faces not only due to the Pandemic but also the many wars that are going on in the world and the danger of people dying of hunger, together with the natural disasters that occur from time to time, remembering that Pope Francis is a pope who is always reminding us about our duty to safeguard nature, to protect us from the disasters that climate change is bringing with it.  It has been noted that the present pandemic will be nothing compared to the disasters that will happen in the future unless we stop abusing nature.

The statue of Our Lady of Europe, present here in front of us, has a history of its own since it was commissioned six hundred years ago.  The sailors who crossed the straits in the past used to salute Our Lady, and they also would visit the shrine and leave their precious offerings here.  The turret with its lamp burning on oil donated usually by visitors was also a shining light to warn ships of danger.  The image was known not only as Our Lady of Europe, but also as Our Lady of a safe passage.

During the worst period of Covid-19, Gibraltarians have shown that there are values instilled in us which we inherited from our Christian culture.  The value of solidarity, of care, of helping others, of saving lives, of sacrificing ourselves for the good of others, show that our culture is a Christian culture.  We are capable of rising up to the needs of the occasion.  I would like to take this occasion to thank all those who worked in some way or other, sometimes at a clear danger to their own life, to help those who were at risk and who were suffering from the virus. We are not out of the woods yet, and these unsung heroes still deserve our appreciation for what they are doing in the community.

Europe has been shaped in its values by its Christian beliefs, some of which are still very much part of our values even if some have been lost.

Gibraltar day is a celebration of national unity, whether we gather in squares or in a church or by celebrating in restaurants or on the beach or even in Spain.  On this day, we pray that the unity we celebrate is not just an illusion or wishful thinking.  This unity means that we, as citizens, pull together for the good of all.  The pandemic has put us to the test and we have shown that in times of need and of danger we are capable of sacrifice and of serving others.

Gibraltar has always proclaimed its pride that we are capable of living together in a harmonious and tolerant society, where respect is shown towards all irrespective of their religion, social status, gender or ethnicity.

I wish I am wrong in what I am going to say, but with a heavy heart I notice that this value of tolerance seems to have been lost in a section of our community, when especially on the social media hate speech abounds, together with bullying and aggressive language aimed at those who may have different views from ours.   Are we treating each other as brothers and sisters or are we using the category of enemy for each other when ideologies don’t meet? Everyone has a right to be treated with respect, however different our ideas or beliefs are.  Our differences do not take away the fact that we are all the same, all human beings, and for those who believe, we are all created in the image of God.

The future for many may be uncertain, and we all know that life after this pandemic and with Brexit will not be the same as before.  It is only experience and time which will tell us how we are to adapt to the new future.  I hope and pray that the lessons learned during the months that we have experienced this virus will not be quickly forgotten, and the sense of dedication and care for others will continue to be felt well after the dangers brought by this virus are put behind us.

As we venerate Mary, the mother of God, the mother of the Church, and our mother, let us entrust the needs of Gibraltar to her maternal care.

Today, on the Eve of Gibraltar’s National Day, we come here to pray, in union with Mary, for our human family, and to find rest with the Mother of the Lord.  We pray for her constant help, for ourselves and for those who are dear to us.  We pray that Mary generates in our hearts the consolation, peace and joy that comes from believing that God is merciful and compassionate.  So is Mary, God’s privileged daughter and mother, She is the mother of mercy, as we pray when we say the ‘Hail Holy Queen’.  May she be always our help, our refuge and our hope.

We fly to thy protection,
O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Fr Tancred Sultana (from the Archdiocese of Malta), who arrived yesterday afternoon in Gibraltar to supply at the Cathedral for the next seven weeks, died suddenly in the early hours of this morning after suffering a massive heart attack.
His body will be repatriated to Malta as soon as it is possible.
A Requiem Mass will be held in Gibraltar on Tuesday 20th July at 12:25 at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, presided by His Lordship the Bishop.
Our condolences to his family.
May he rest in peace.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The forthcoming Referendum on 24^th June 2021 —by coincidence the Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist— will determine whether the abortion laws, already passed by our Parliament to extend our current abortion laws, should be enacted or not.
The Referendum effectively places the responsibility on Gibraltarians to decide whether or not abortion should be liberalized: whether the most vulnerable in our society will continue to enjoy the present status of the right to life, or will be subject to a significant broadening of the grounds for their legal termination.
The Church has always been clear in her teaching on this matter. All Catholics, as indeed all persons of good will, have a moral duty to defend innocent human life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Whatever the result of the Referendum, this teaching cannot change.
Living in a democratic society, this Referendum is an opportunity not only to exercise our right to vote and thereby contribute now to the Common Good, but also to defend the weakest in our society. Until now, the child in the womb has enjoyed a right to life except in extremely rare, exceptional, circumstances. This will be severely eroded if the Referendum ratifies the new, liberal, abortion laws. Whichever way one tries to justify it, what is being proposed is ‘abortion on demand’ putting at risk the lives of the unborn children, even up to the very moment prior to birth.
The Church holds that human life starts at conception, and that this life is to be cherished, respected, protected and loved until its natural end.  Therefore, the intentional termination of a pregnancy, at whatever stage, is the direct and intended termination of an innocent, unborn child. The 5^th Commandment of God states unambiguously: “You shall not kill” innocent human life (Exodus 20:13).
Abortion is the attempted elimination, not of a problem, but of a child, through their death. It can never be a good —or a loving— act of itself, because it results in the termination of an innocent human life, and all who intentionally cooperate in the termination of human life are morally culpable for this act.
All human life is of equal dignity.  The right to life is the most fundamental of human rights.  All other human rights derive from this basic right.  This is not a privilege conferred by government.  Any human law that removes this right to life, is an unjust law.  The unborn have no voice to defend and protect their rights.  We are the voice of the voiceless.
The Church, as can be verified in her earliest writings, has consistently taught that the deliberate taking of an innocent human life is, in all circumstances, gravely wrong. St. John Paul II in particular, reiterated this infallible truth —that morally, abortion is always gravely wrong, no matter the circumstances. He declared:

“Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church … this tradition is unchanged and unchangeable. Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops … I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.”

(Evangelium vitae, n. 62).

If the law determines that the human life still in the mother’s womb is disposable, it will not be long before it decides the same for human life at any other stage.
Scientifically, there is no doubt that an unborn child is a human being, and that she/he too has the same right as I and you have to live.  Equality of rights should extend also to the unborn child.  The equal right to life and love of a mother and her unborn child is fundamental to the Common Good of every society.
Abortion should never be an easy decision, since it goes against the very nature of being a parent. When one finds oneself in such a desperate situation, abortion may seem as the only way out. Yet, in all countries where abortion is available virtually on demand, it has become a relatively easy decision to take, treated in some cases almost like a contraceptive.  We cannot ignore the experience of countries where liberal abortion laws exist: with the passage of time the legal clauses, designed to protect against misuse or malpractice, become ineffective. Evidently, abortions increase exponentially, using the widest possible interpretation of the laws and criteria that allow them. This has been the experience of so many countries over time, which have liberalized their abortion laws.
As a society caring for all, we must find solutions of life for the unborn child, by supporting the mother throughout her pregnancy and beyond. Pope Francis said that “we must do more to accompany women in difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution to their painful anguish” (25^th May 2019).
The people of Gibraltar are being presented with a choice: To choose between life or death; to choose whether the most vulnerable in our society will continue to enjoy the present status of the right to life, or will be subject to a significant broadening of the grounds for their legal termination. To vote ‘no’ is to emphatically defend the right to life as enshrined currently in Gibraltar’s Constitution.
Let us turn in prayer to Our Lady of Europe, our Patroness and Mother, and to St Joseph, her spouse, that they may protect us with their parental care.  May the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, protect all mothers, all unborn babies, and enlighten all of us in our duty to show them love and support whilst protecting the right to life of the unborn.
Given today, 12^th June 2021, the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

+Carmel Zammit
Bishop of Gibraltar

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
When the pandemic reached Gibraltar, and the Churches were either closed or only open for private prayer, the faithful were dispensed from the obligation of attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation.  Now, we thank God that Churches are once again open and there are no special restrictions for those participating in the Mass.  It is time to consider going back to normality and giving the Eucharist its rightful place and importance in our life and in the life of the Church.
Therefore, after giving due consideration to the situation in which we find ourselves in Gibraltar regarding the pandemic and being confident that there is very little danger in going to church to participate in the Eucharist, the dispensation from attending Mass on Sundays and Days of Obligation is now no longer necessary and will be withdrawn.   All the faithful are encouraged to return to the celebration of Sundays and Days of Obligation by attending Mass, beginning on the Solemnity of Pentecost, which is the Solemnity that celebrates the birth of the Church.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales published a reflection entitled  “The Day of the Lord”, which I would like to quote to reflect on the importance of returning back to taking part in the Mass especially on Sundays.
“It is the Eucharist, the celebration of the Mass, that makes the Church; and it is the Church, in the gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes the Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the lifeblood of the Church. It requires our active participation and, to be fully celebrated, our physical presence.
At this moment, then, we need to have in our sights the need to restore to its rightful centrality in our lives the Sunday Mass, encouraging each to take his or her place once again in the assembly of our brothers and sisters. We face the task of seeking to nurture the sense of Sunday as “a weekly gift from God to his people”, and something we cannot do without; to see Sunday as the soul of the week, as giving light and meaning to all the responsibilities we live out each day; to see the Sunday Eucharist as food for the unique mission with which we have been endowed.
In the time to come we can do no better than to rekindle in our hearts, foster and encourage, a yearning for the Real Presence of the Lord and the practice of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, a gift so deeply appreciated in the times of lockdown. We need to begin by fostering this in ourselves. For the Eucharist should be the cause of our deepest joy, our highest manner of offering thanks to God and for seeking his mercy and love. We need to make it the foundation stone of our lives”.  (Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, ‘The Day of the Lord’, 22 April 2021).
It is my hope that all the faithful will return to celebrate together the Day of the Lord in Church, participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving Holy Communion, which is food for the journey we are on in this world.

Given today, the 13^th May, 2021, the Solemnity of the Ascension and the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.
+Carmel
Bishop of Gibraltar

With immediate effect:

• Masks: these will no longer be required, effective as from today. However, they are still mandatory for funerals.
• Sanitization remains available for those entering church.
• Holy Water fonts: for the moment, these are not allowed.
• Sign of Peace: this continues to be suspended.
• Collective response to “the Body of Christ” is no longer required and is to be done individually, in the customary manner.
• Distribution of Holy Communion by Priests and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy communion: they will be required to sanitize prior to distribution and to wear masks throughout.
• Receiving Holy Communion: this remains unchanged. All those who wish to receive on the tongue, should do so at the end of the queue for those receiving on the hand.
• Choirs and congregational singing may now resume.

From Friday 16^th April:

• Social distancing: will no longer be required as from then.
• Newsletters and other printed material will be permitted.

The dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation remains for the moment in force until there is confidence that it is safe enough to lift it. However, every effort to honour our sacred obligation, when possible, should still be adhered to.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Please remain safe.

Dear Beloved in Christ,

For practically a whole year, the words most used have been pandemic, self-isolation, Covid-19, Coronavirus and unfortunately death due to Covid-19.  All these terms have become familiar to us, and they are all connected to the threat to life that the virus going round all over the world poses.  Due to this pandemic, all of us have lost persons we loved or were close to.

Last year the public celebration of Easter was not possible, and we don’t know as yet how the celebration of the Easter Triduum this year will be celebrated due to the uncertainties that the pandemic raises.

During this Lent, whatever the situation the pandemic confronts us with, certain truths about Lent are good to remember and put into practice.  The elements that make Lent relevant are prayer, conversion, sacrifice and charity which includes almsgiving. The restrictions that we have to follow may even be a help to reflect more about what is really important in our life and give more attention to these realities.  This Lent gives us the opportunity of reflecting about our priorities in life, and whether these priorities are in the order they should be.

When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit after his baptism in the Jordan into the wilderness, he was in self-isolation.  There he had time, forty days, to prepare himself for his public ministry and to realise what his mission was really about.  He was faced with the challenges or temptations that we all face due to our fallen nature.  He did battle with the devil, and he overcame the temptations regarding self-indulgence, self-glory and seeking power.  He was able to overcome these temptations because he spent his time in the desert praying and fasting.  After forty days in the desert, he went out to start his public ministry and his first proclamation was “The hour has come.  The Kingdom of God is near.   Repent and believe the Good News” (Mk 1, 15).

The Lord commissioned the Church to continue to spread this original message.  The call to repentance and conversion is always relevant and urgent.   The command to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News is the treasure that is entrusted to the Church (cf. Mk 16, 15). What is the good news?  The Good News is Christ himself, his presence in the Church.  “I am with you always, till the end of the age” (Mt. 28, 20).  This presence is very actual in the sacrifice of the Mass, which actualises the salvation and redemption that were achieved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and his overpowering of death by his Resurrection.

Jesus was not always active amongst the crowds who were hungry for his words and his miracles.  He found time to be alone with his Father in intimate prayer.   During Lent, in a special way, we are reminded about the importance of personal prayer, which is at the heart of every Christian’s life.  We are urged to find ways to be alone with the Father.  The Season of Lent has always been a call to spend time with the Father in personal prayer.

Although our faith tells us that God is love, that He is always anxious to receive us back into his arms when we make up our mind to return to him, as we learn in the parable of the prodigal son, it is always possible that we will turn our back to God.  We are unfortunately often influenced by a society which looks on life and on the world as all that we have to enjoy now.  Many seek to  experience heaven here and now, and the new sainthood is achieving celebrity and experiencing as much pleasure as we can in the present.

Christ took upon himself the weight of all our sins, and through his passion and sacrificial death he, so to speak, paid for all our sins.  This is what we mean by redemption.  But sin did not end with our redemption, and it is still very much alive around us, and this reality will continue till the end of time. But Christ never turned his back on the sinner.  He will never turn his back to us, however much we may feel in despair or burdened with guilt.

The call to repentance is also a call to conversion.  It is not sufficient to say I am sorry, but one has to change direction. The danger is that we may consider ourselves as not in need of any conversion because, although we realise we have faults, we don’t consider them as serious enough as to make any effort to overcome such defects or failures.

When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the greatest, he answered that the first and greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and that the second most important commandment was to love one’s neighbour as oneself (cf. Mt 22, 36-40). In its essence, love means willing what is good for the other and then to act on that desire. Real love is to escape from the natural inclination to be egoists, and to embrace the good of the other for the sake of the other.

In previous Lents we suggested that any charitable donations may go to Aid to the Church in Need.  You are obviously free to choose which charity you would like to make your contributions to this Lent as a consequence of your self-denial, but I would like to encourage you to remember to include Aid to the Church in Need also this year.  This Charity is dedicated to help Christians who are suffering persecution and who are also caught up in countries where there are conflicts which make life extremely difficult.

May Mary, the Mother of our Saviour and our mother, walk closely with each of us this Lent, to bring us and those we pray for safe into celebrating in faith the Resurrection.

With my good wishes and prayers,

+Carmel Zammit
Bishop of Gibraltar