Fil-Bavarja

Dak li nqala’ bejn il-Knisja Kattolika u l-gvern tal-istat tal-Bavarja fil-Ġermanja iqajjem spunti kurjużi ħafna. Il-kristjan-soċjali li ilhom imexxu qed iħossuhom daharhom mal-ħajt quddiem l-avvanzi tal-populisti tal-lemin minħabba d-dwejjaq li l-immigrazzjoni baqgħet issostni fil-Ġermanja. U daqt jaslu l-elezzjonijiet…

Il-gvern iddeċieda li jdendel il-kurċifiss f’numru ta’ stabillimenti statali. Ried, fost kalkoli oħra, li jikkonsolida voti li jistgħu jabbandunawh

Fost l-isqfijiet u awtoritajiet ekkleżjali tal-Bavarja, dan qajjem kontroversja sħiħa. Huma ħarġu kontra. Imma n-nunzju apostoliku fil-Ġermanja wera wkoll publikament li mhuwiex jaqbel mal-pożizzjoni tal-isqfijiet Bavarjani.

Il-boxxli dwar x’inhi l-aħjar imġiba fis-soċjetajiet Ewropej tħawdu sew.

***

MANOEL ISLAND

Il-proposti għal żvilupp mill-kumpanija MIDI fil-gżira ta’ Manoel jissorprendu lil xi ħadd bħali li ilu jsegwi l-proġett, fil-forom differenti li ħa, tul l-aħħar talanqas erbgħin sena. Kien hemm żmien meta qalulna li l-gżira ta’ Manoel iddaħħlet fil-proġett bil-ħsieb li jissaħħaħ il-valur storiku u ambjentali tagħha. Ma setax ikun hemm indirizz kummerċjali f’dan l-iżvilupp imma wieħed ta’ interess publiku. Tal-MIDI kienu se jpattu b’hekk għall-benefiċċji inkredibbli li ngħataw fil-ponta ta’ Tigne b’art publika li saret tagħhom bir-ribass.

Illum, il-proposti għall-iżvilupp ta’ Manoel Island huma kummerċjali. Żgur jispiċċaw billi bla rażan, jikkopjaw il-mostrożitajiet li nħolqu f’Tigne.

Jien wieħed minn dawk li jaħtu għal dan. Meta l-proġett ta’ Tigne kien qed jogħtor, ftaħnielu triq li minnha seta’ jerġa’ jitlaq.

Sadattant, il-proposti biex tal-MIDI jieħdu ħsieb jiżviluppaw, spejjeż tagħhom, is-sistemi ta’ toroq u drenaġġ bejn tas-Sliema u l-Gżira ħalli jpattu għall-konġestjoni li kienu se joħolqu bil-binjiet tagħhom intesew.

***

DAWK LI MIETU F’GAZA

Segwejt l-ispjegi li ngħataw minn nies ta’ rieda tajba f’Iżrael għall-imwiet tal-Palestinjani madwar il-wajer imxewwek li f’Gaza jifridhom mit-territorju ta’ Iżrael.

Ir-rabbi Donniel Hartmann kiteb kif ma jistax jibqa’ sieket quddiem l-isfida morali dwar x’ġara. Jirreferi għal storja li tissemma fit-tradizzjoni Lhudija: meta Mose’ rnexxielu jgħaddi lill-poplu tiegħu mill-ferqa li nfetħet fin-Nil qabel ingħalqet fuq it-truppi tal-Fargħuni jsuqu minn ġo fiha, l-anġli nfexxu jgħannu. Alla waqqafhom. Widdibhom: kif tistgħu tkantaw meta l-ħlejqien tiegħi qed imutu mgħarrqa?

Hartmann jinkwieta u jiddispjaċih bil-kbir bl-imwiet li seħħu. Isostni li l-inkwiet inqala’ mhux għax inġemgħet dimostrazzjoni imma għax tqanqal attakk fuq is-sovranità ta’ Iżrael u l-jedd tiegħu għall-eżistenza. Waqt li jemmen f’soluzzjoni li biha għandu jkun hemm żewġ stati fil-Palestina, ipoġġi l-akbar piż ta’ ħtija fl-ikkargar tal-mibegħda u l-vjolenza fuq il-Palestinjani.

Din la hi pożizzjoni leġittima u lanqas kredibbli. Ma tirriflettix ir-realtà kollha, forsi lanqas fil-każ ta’ Mose’.

English Version – In Bavaria

What has developed between the Catholic Church and the government of the German state of Bavaria gives rise to some very curious reflections. The social-christians who have been in power for quite a while are getting hemmed in by right wing populist advances because of the persisting disquiet in Germany about immigration. Soon, elections will be held…

The government decided to hang crucifixes on the walls of offices and halls in a number of state institutions. Among other calculations, this was meant to consolidate votes that could drift away.

Bavarian bishops and other ecclestiastical authorities considered the step too controversial and denounced it. But then, the apostolic nuncio to Germany showed, also in a public manner, his disagreement with the position taken by the Bavarian bishops.

Truly, the guiding principles in European societies regarding what the best behaviour should be have gotten mixed up.

***

Manoel Island

Those who like me have been following the Tigne project for the last forty years or so in all its different formats, can only feel surprised at the proposals being made by MIDI for the development of Manoel Island.

There was a time when we were told that Manoel Island had been included in the Tigne project with the intention of buttressing its historical and environmental value. There could hardly be a commercial justification for the project there, only one that related to the public interest. In this way, MIDI would be paying back for the incredible benefits they had been assigned when public land at Tigne became theirs at bucket prices.

Today, the proposals for the development of Manoel Island are crassly commercial. Obviously they will end up as a relentless copy of the monstruosities that were created at Tigne.

I share in the blame for all this. When the Tigne project was slowly collapsing, we laid out an opening within which it could restart.

Meanwhile, the proposals have remained forgotten that would have had MIDI renovate at their expense the road and sewage systems between Sliema and Gzira in order to correct for the congestion they were bound to create with their apartment projects.

***

The deaths in Gaza

I have followed the explanations given by people of goodwill in Israel about the deaths of Palestinians close to the barbed wire that in Gaza, separates them from Israeli territory.

Rabbi Donniel Hartmann wrote how he could not remain silent before the moral challenge posed by what had happened. He referred to a story that is part of Jewish tradition: when Moses succeeded in getting his people across the passage which had opened in the Nile and as it closed on Pharaoh’s troups charging straight into it, the angels began to sing. God stopped them. How can you sing, when my creatures are drowning? he admonished them

Hartmann is dismayed by the deaths that have occurred and saddened by them. He insists that the trouble arose not because a demonstration had gathered but because an attack had been triggered against Israel’s sovereignty and its right to exist. While believing in a two state solution for Palestine, he still attaches the major burden of guilt for the build-up of hate and violence to the Palestinians.

This position is neither legitimate nor credible. It hardly reflects the total picture, perhaps not even where Moses is concerned.