History Advanced – Junior College

Revision Table – Church State Relations in the 19th Century

Church-State Relations – 19th Century

What were the main roles of the Church?
Social Economic Political

The Catholic Church in Malta was the only
CONSTANT in many years of foreign rule.
It was always there for the Maltese – a
point of reference and security.
It owned one-third of the land and thus had Always led the Maltese against their rulers.
economic power.
Maltese saw it as their political leader as
The Church provided charity. well.

What were the main policies characterising the relationship of the British and the Church?

BRITISH POLICY TOWARDS THE MALTESE CHURCH WAS BASED ON THE ROLE THAT IT PLAYED IN MALTESE SOCIETY (see above).
In the uprising against the French and also in their 1802 Declration of Rights the Maltese showed how the Church was viewed as a
political leader and how much the maltese wanted its priviliges to be protected.

FOUR MAIN POLICIES:

LIBERTY – the British never tried to turn Malta Protestant. There was liberty of worship.

RESPECT
COOPERATION - out of necessity – PRACTICAL POLITICS: Diplomatic tactic to guarantee stability and support from the Maltese

PROTECTION – In 1800 they promised that all rights and priviliges will be protected. The 1812 Royal Commission also warned against
having an angry priesthood, which would result in discontent amongst the Maltese.

As can be seen from the case studies below, the Maltese Church did not always get the upper-hand. However, over-all the relations
were cordial.
Classification of Case Studies – to be given as examples
Those cases which showed that Those cases which showed that
the British were tolerating and the British tried to bring
protecting the Maltese Church. unwanted change BUT had to
give up their attempts to
maintain good relations with the
Church.
• 1807 -Bishop to be Maltese • Status of St. Johns
1831 – Independent from Conventual Church – Refusal
Diocese of Palermo. by Maitland, however a
• Protestant Biblical Society compromise was reached:
could not be named ‘of became a Co-Cathedral but
Malta’. No distribution of remained Government
Protestant Bible. Other property.
Societies could print but not in • Burial Question – Br wanted
Italian or Maltese. to stop this for sanitary
• No Protestant Churches built reasons. Church protested
or Catholic ones turned into and Br dropped it, until 1869
Protestant ones. Only in 1844 when burials started being
– St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. prohobited in 3 cities and
• Throne at St’Johns – Coat of Valletta. Full prohobition was
Arms on Throne but two only in 1974!
others seats on same level for • The Oath Question – The
Bishop and Governor. Bishop did not want to take
• Bishop of Malta given title of oath in Council of
Brigadier – 2nd in command Governmment to protect the
to Governor. Protestand Religion, and
• Church continued to control resigned from Council. In
Education. Also a Sicilian Jesuit 1848 O’Farrel changed it –
Seminary was allowed in 1866. not including the protection
of the Protestant Religion.
Those where the British pressed
changes which the Church did not
want, BUT stood their ground as
it was a matter of administrative
efficiency. They however sought a
mutually convenient
arrangement.
• Mortmain Law (1822) –
limiting the Church to own
property. With help of Vatican
a change was made: when
church inherited property it
had to sell it within a year.
• Freedom of the Press (1839) –
The Church protested due to
fear of criticism and protestant
infiltration. British went ahead
but guaranteed protection
through Law of Libel.
• Wording of the Criminal Code
– 3 out of 8 members in
Council of Government were
clerics. In Criminal Code they
insisted that the Catholic
Church would be referred to as
Chiesa Dominante and any
offences against it would be
more severly punished than on
any other religion. The British
refused this. Result – this
chapter was left out of
Criminal Code.
Those instances of conflict
where the British pressed for
changes and resorted to the
Vatican to ensure that the
Maltese Church accept these
changes.
• Immunita Ecclesiastica
(Right of Sanctuary) –
Maitland wanted to limit
this power of the
Ecclesiastic Court. It did not
make sense that Churches
enjoyed immunity from
Gov. Law. Also, the British
wanted to abolish the
Privilegum Fori - the right of
clerics not be taken to Gov
court. They resorted to the
Vatican as these priviliges
interfered in their efficiency
in administration and were
‘old’ and obsolete laws. In
1828 these privileges were
abolished: 3 enactments -
no sanctuary, ecclesiatical
courts for religious matters
only and privilegum fori
only for Bishop.
• Diocese in Gozo (1864)
The maltese Bishop had long
opposed the separation of the
• Auditing of Accounts –
proposed by Stuart but the
Church protested. Instead
the Church made its accounts
public, thus Stuart withdrew
his proposal.
• Mixed Marriages – the
Church discouraged these but
if there were any they were
to be carried according to the
Catholic rites (Tridentine).
Children to be brought up
Catholic. Clandestine Illegal
Marriage Act protected this.
• During Simmons-Rampolla
meetings (1890) – the
introduction of civil marriage
in all colonies was refused by
Maltese Church. Br dropped
it as they made a deal about
the choice of a pro-Brirish
Bishop (see last point in last
column).
• Ecclesiastics (Religious) in
Politics - Due to high Church
representation in Council and
above issue, the Br wanted to
prohibit ecclesiastics from
Council. There were protests in
the 60s. So the British called a
referendum and the Maltese
chose YES for church members
in council. The Bristish
accepted but NOT more than 2
at a time.
Diocese from Malta, however
the Vatican insisted with Britain
and the Maltese diocese that
Gozo should have its own
Bishop.
• Choice of Bishop:
When choosing a Bishop
there were hardly any
issues but there were
exceptions. Br had the right
to nominate Bishop but
sometimes Rome disagreed:
Ex: 1880s – when there was
a choice between Buhagiar
(pro French) and Pietro
Pace (Pro British). In the
end Pace was chosen as the
British made a deal with the
Vatican in the Simmons-
Rampolla agreement: Pace
would be chose, however
the British had to back
down on issue of mixed
marriages. Also, Rome
agreed that novices could
be sent to study in England,
while Britain gave benefices
to the local Seminary.