

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The forthcoming Referendum on 24th 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 5th 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:
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” (25th 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, 12th 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 13th May, 2021, the Solemnity of the Ascension and the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.
+Carmel
Bishop of Gibraltar
Dear Faithful,
You may recall that on March 25, 2020, I canonically consecrated Gibraltar to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Now, in view of the upcoming challenge against the protection of human life, I am inviting the faithful of Gibraltar to make a Personal Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I am convinced that the people’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart will bring special graces from heaven upon us all.
For those who wish to participate in this individual consecration, I am proposing a 33-day journey in preparation for the Personal Consecration, starting on May 10th and ending on the 34th day, which falls on June 12, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Each Parish will be receiving this weekend the 33-day journey booklets (including all the prayers and all necessary information), to have these distributed at the end of this weekend’s Sunday masses.
I ask the parishes please to announce this on all the Sunday Masses this weekend and, because of the graces promised by Our Lady, to encourage your faithful to participate in the Consecration.
The 33-day journey commitment includes the recitation of:
The act of Consecration will take place within a Special Diocesan Mass at the Cathedral, on Saturday June 12, at 12 p.m.
Additionally, Fr. Augustine Conner CFR, will be offering the faithful daily meditations leading up to the Consecration via our Diocesan media (catholic.gi), every day as from May 10th, at 5 p.m.
Thank you for your cooperation.
With my best wishes and prayers.
+Carmel
Bishop of Gibraltar
With immediate effect:
From Friday 16th April:
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.
For any donations by bank transfer
to help the Diocese finance the Ordination
of Archbishop-elect, Mgr. Mark Miles
[please note: all donations will be treated ‘anonymously’]
Gib or UK format:
SORT CODE: | ACCOUNT NUMBER: |
608314 |
00812001 |
International format:
IBAN. INTERNATIONAL BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER | BIC. BANK IDENTIFIER CODE |
GI64 GIBK 0000 0008 1200 001 | GIBKGIGIXXX |
Bank address: GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL BANK LTD.
INCE’S HOUSE, 310 MAIN STREET, GIBRALTAR
From the office of the Bishop of Gibraltar, Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned.
Appointment of Apostolic Nuncio to Togo
Further to the announcement of 5th February that Pope Francis had appointed Monsignor Mark Miles as Apostolic Nuncio to Benin, the Holy Father has today appointed Archbishop-elect Miles also as Apostolic Nuncio to the Togolese Republic.
Togo is a country immediately adjacent to the west of the Republic of Benin with a population of approximately 8 million, of which, 28% are Catholic.
The Diocese is able to confirm that the Episcopal Ordination will take place in Gibraltar on Sunday, 25th April 2021.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See, will be the principal Consecrator.
Details of the Ordination ceremony will be made available as soon as arrangements have been finalised.
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
The Chief Minister has announced this afternoon that as from Saturday 20th February, public worship may be resumed, with the same Public Health directives as just before lockdown, mainly concerning social distancing and sanitisation hygiene. His Lordship the Bishop has therefore instructed the parishes to reopen for public worship on that day.
Unfortunately, this means that public liturgies will resume after Ash Wednesday and so, this year we will not be able to administer the ashes in our customary way. Instead, we may substitute the placing of blessed ashes on our heads, with a time for prayer and contemplation of what Lent means and of the significance this Penitential time has for us as Christians. The Stations of the Cross, or reading and meditating on a passage from Sacred Scriptures which is used at Mass on Ash Wednesday, are particularly appropriate.
Ash Wednesday remains a day of fasting and abstinence for those who are bound by ecclesiastical law and who are able to do so without harm to their health, especially during this time when it is important to keep a good diet that will help us battle against Covid and seasonal viruses.
The dispensation from the observance of the Sunday precept and of Holy Days of Obligation remains in force until we can return fully to normal.
Please be careful to observe social distancing in church, particularly in weekends when the maximum number of persons allowed to gather in a church might inadvertently be exceeded. Your cooperation will be sincerely appreciated, especially if you find on arrival that you should not enter a church because there is no more safe room available.
The previous restrictions regarding funerals, baptisms, weddings and confessions continue to be in force for as long as the Public Authorities’ directives continue to hold.
[12/2/2021]
From the office of the Bishop of Gibraltar, Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned.
PRESS RELEASE
Appointment of Apostolic Nuncio in Benin
The Holy Father has appointed as Apostolic Nuncio in Benin Mgr Mark Gerard Miles, at the same time elevating him to the titular see of civitatis ducalis, with the dignity of Archbishop.
Archbishop-elect Mark Gerard Miles
The Most Reverend Mark Gerard Miles was born in Gibraltar, U.K., on 13 May 1967.
He was ordained a priest on 14 September 1996 and incardinated into the Diocese of Gibraltar.
He has a doctorate in Canon Law and a licence in Theology.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 2003, and subsequently worked in the Pontifical Representations in Ecuador and Hungary, then in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State and most recently in the Holy See Observer Mission to the Organization of American States in Washington D.C.
He is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and has a working knowledge of French.
Details of the date and ceremony of Episcopal Ordination to follow shortly.
Monsignor Miles, on reacting to the news, stated:
“I am honoured and humbled by the Holy Father’s confidence in appointing me to be his representative to the Republic of Benin.
My gratitude goes out to my beloved family, thinking of my late parents William and Mary Miles, and to all my friends and loved ones who have supported me on life’s journey and have helped me on the path of faith and vocation.
I thank my brother priests of the diocese of Gibraltar and especially bishops past and present who have, in different ways, been fatherly towards me. I extend deep gratitude to everyone in Gibraltar, a community distinguished by tolerance, respect, warmth and unique hospitality.
Finally, I commend this ministry to the intercession of Our Lady of Europe and to the prayers of the Saints close to my heart so that I may give honour to God and fulfil the work he has entrusted to me”.
Bishop Carmel Zammit, on reacting to news, stated:
“ I am delighted both for Archbishop-Elect Mgr Mark Miles and for the Church in Gibraltar. I have no doubt that Mgr Mark will be supported by the prayers of all of us in Gibraltar in this important ministry he will be undertaking on behalf of the Holy Father as his diplomatic representative in the Republic of Benin. The Diocese of Gibraltar wishes him many years of faithful and rewarding service in the Church. All the clergy and the community congratulate Mgr Miles on this appointment and also congratulate his family”.