Religion in Malta

The main religion in Malta is Christianity, mainly Roman Catholicism. It is estimated that around 90% of the Maltese population is Catholic, making Malta one of the countries which has the highest percentage of people following the Christian belief.

It is believed that Malta became a Catholic country after St. Paul arrived here. He was on his way to Rome, St. Paul shipwrecked in Malta on his way to the trial and eventually martyrdom in Rome. It was also after this important event that the Church in Malta was founded by St. Paul, and St. Publius, who was the first bishop of Malta following his conversion to Catholicism.

As Malta had various rulers, there was a decline in Christianity, especially because there were other religions present such as Islam which was brought by Arab rulers, and later the British who brought Anglicanism. After Independence, Malta regained its freedom and Catholicism was marked as the main religion in the Maltese constitution.

Nowadays, religion is extremely influential in Malta. The people follow the religious traditions such as Christmas, were many Maltese follow the midnight mass on Christmas. In Good Friday some towns around Malta organize processions and many Maltese follow them, as well as the mass organized to welcome Easter Sunday which marks the resurrection of Jesus.

The Holy Mary is much revered here in Malta. The most important celebrations are on the 15th August, which is the feast of St. Mary, on the 8th September we celebrate the birth of Mary and on the 8th December it is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Also on the 10th February the Maltese celebrated the arrival of St. Paul in Malta, who is revered as the patron of Malta and the Maltese, on the 19th March it is the feast of St. Joseph, and lastly on the 29th June there is the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. The above mentioned feasts are considered to be National Holidays in Malta, which shows how important religion is for the Maltese.

On the other hand, there are other feasts which are celebrated which are the feasts of the town patrons. Every town in Malta has it own patron and they make them a feast which take a whole week. These feasts are done especially during summer because of the weather, where the religious rituals are celebrated, there are the local bands playing, there are fireworks, and the towns are decorated for the occasion. Almost every person in each town attends to these feasts, but sometimes not everyone attends the mass. Unfortunately, there are also riots between local band clubs and people using these feasts as a source to gain revenue are making these feasts more fanatical than religious.

Another important aspect about religion in Malta is the impact that it has on society. Religion has a great impact on society and this is shown also by the fact that Malta is against divorce and abortion, mainly because the church is against these facts. Also, the Maltese, being very religious won’t allow the government to introduce these laws. Another thing which isn’t accepted in Malta, due to the religious influence is gay marriages. These are all the things that the church is against and being Malta very catholic, the Maltese population are still very sceptical about it.

Malta acknowledges the presence of other religions and in fact, there are various religions practiced in Malta. One of them is Islam which was introduced in Malta during the stay of the Arabs here. Islam was freely practiced till the 13th Century.

Nowadays, Muslims can practice their religion freely in Malta. There is also a Muslim community in Malta which was founded by Islamic Cultural Centre in Tripoli. It is a rather small community which comprises a mosque, known as Corradino mosque, a primary school and the Imam’s house. The Muslim community in Malta numbers a few thousands, around 3000 Muslims, from which about 2000 are foreigners, while the rest are naturalized citizens.

Another acknowledged religion is Judaism. The Jewish community dates back to 1500 BC when there was the Arab rule in Malta, and reached their peak in the middle Ages under the Norman rule. During this period the Jews owned agricultural land, some were also shopkeepers and traders. When the Aragonese took over in Malta, the Jews were forced to leave. With the arrival of the Knights of St. John, there were Jews who practiced their religion secretly while there were also many enslaved Jews too. During the Second World War many Jews came to Malta because Malta didn’t conform to the German rule and didn’t require the visas of the fleeing Jews. In fact, many Jews who were resident in Malta were in the British army and fought against the German.

In present days, there are still some Jews in Malta, and there is also a Jewish community. The Jews didn’t have a Synagogue for some years but in 2000, with the help from the US and the UK, a new synagogue was consecrated and it is managed by the Jewish Foundation of Malta where services are held on Shabbat and on the days of the Jewish festivals.

Other religions present are the Protestants, which mainly are British retires who live in Malta, where they have also some Protestant churches. Another religion is the Greek Orthodox, where there is also a Church in Valletta which celebrates Sunday service. The Greek Orthodox Church hosts also Russian Orthodox services when the patriarch comes to Malta from Moscow to celebrate mass on Eastern Orthodox holiday, as there is not a patriarch in Malta.

Then there are other small religious communities, such as Zen Buddhism, Baha’i Faith which is a religion that emphasizes the spiritual unity of humankind. One can also find, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States, the Bible Baptist Church, and the Evangelical Alliance of Malta. There is also the Jehovah's Witnesses, which has around 500 followers.

All in all, it is important to emphasize the main religion in Malta is Roman Catholicism. But as it has been pointed out, in Malta there is freedom of religion, as there are also other religious institutions where people from other religions can practice their religion.

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