The Church School Saga (Part 1)

12 13 Feature maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 APRIL 2010 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 APRIL 2010 Feature THE CHURCH SCHOOL SAGA ‘JEW B’XEJN, JEW XEJN’ (PART 1) In the first of a three-part feature, Gerald Fenech TIMELINE delves into the historical importance of church December 1981: The Labour Party wins the 1981 election with a majority of seats but a minority schools in Malta and the battle for their existence of votes. ‘Free education for all’ part of Labour’s in the 1980s that led to the Catholic Church-State manifesto. compromise December 1982: Legal Notice freezing Church School fees at 1982 levels published February 1983: The Holy See protests against the ‘20 points’ awarded to state school students June 1983: Publication of White Paper on Devolution of Church Property Acquired by Prescription July 1983: Archbishop Joseph Mercieca returns from Rome after meetings with Holy See officials. Insists that Church will not cede to government’s demands and will retain all legal rights September 1983: Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici becomes Minister of Education. Curia publishes 1982 accounts, showing losses of Lm190,000, but does not take into account immovable properties not used for ecclesiastical purposes and their The massive demonstration in support of Church schools Dingli Street, Sliema, 1984 income. PRIVATE education has always been a contentious issue er draconian measures, such as the freezing of compensa- October 1983: Church files case in Constitutional in Malta. In the eyes of some, it’s a sector that has been tion limits up to a maximum of Lm50,000 (€120,000) and Court to declare Devolution Act null. In Dingli, viewed as elitist in its approach to education; a form of the renouncing of the Church’s right to receive property Mifsud Bonnici declares that government was social segregation in the more extreme viewpoints. Up which fell into its hands as a result of prescription. Natu- ready to ‘take over Church schools if necessary’. till the 1990s, the largest chunk of private education was rally the Church opposed such measures with Archbishop provided by the Catholic Church, whose branches and re- Joseph Mercieca heading a delegation to Rome to discuss ligious orders practically dominated the sector on the is- the crisis. March 1984: Negotiations between government lands. Inevitably this created friction between the Labour After returning from Rome in July 1983, the Archbishop and Holy see cease government that had been in power since 1971 after its insisted that the government measures, were unaccept- battle with the Maltese Catholic church in the 1960s. able and anti-Constitutional. April 1984: Parliament amends Education Act But it is surprising to note that this monumental tussle The Church also published its financial accounts for actually began in the early 1980s, well into Labour’s third 1982, which showed a deficit of around Lm190,000, but after heated debate. New licences for schools term of office, by which time questions about Labour’s po- these accounts did not include the value of all immov- include various conditions which Church finds litical legitimacy following the 1981 election had reached able property which was not held for ecclesiastical pur- ‘unacceptable’, declaring that it would be applying fever pitch. poses, thus creating an anomalous situation. Negotiations for licences ‘with reservations’ and without dragged on through the whole of 1983 until April 1984, renouncing any of its legal rights. BEGINNING OF A CONFLICT when government passed the relevant legal notices to the The crux of the matter was centred (as almost always) Education Act after a heated debate in Parliament. Basi- Don Mintoff Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici Archbishop Joseph Mercieca on the issue of land and the income which the Church cally these consisted in the issue of new licences to op- 19 September 1984: MUT orders strike in derived from it. Dom Mintoff’s government argued that erate schools in accordance with government regulations government schools. Teachers locked out with if the Church was receiving income from its considerable and if these were broken, the schools would revert to gov- DRAMATIS PERSONAE: in Rome’s Sacra Ruota – the tion was not to be underesti- strike lasting for seven weeks. Teachers return lands and property, then it could afford to fund its schools ernment operation. Vatican’s diplomatic service. mated, especially in the dark to work to be transferred to other schools where independently without having to rely on tuition fees. The The Church said that it would be applying for these li- Foreign Minister (former He acceded to the throne in days of the education crisis. ‘angry parent’s reactions’ is cited as an excuse for government also halted state grants to church schools censes with reservations and without renouncing its legal PM) Dom Mintoff: 1976, coincidentally the year transfers. in an effort to make them financially unsustainable. In rights under the law. In the meantime the Federation of Although he officially re- in which the Labour party Others involved in the its electoral manifesto for the 1981 election, the Labour Parent-Teachers Association asked all parents to sign a crisis: tired as Prime Minister in won its second five-year 25 September 1984: Mifsud Bonnici addresses Party had promised free schools for everyone and in 1982 declaration that they would be paying the same fees to the 1984 – appointing the rela- term, and steered the Church Dr Harry Vassallo – Lawyer the government eventually issued a legal notice that froze schools which they paid the year before. Everything was workers who then went on the rampage attacking the Law tively unknown Karmenu through the challenging and and Chairman of the Fed- dockyard workers, who subsequently go on a all the church school fees at current levels, also making all moving towards a conflagration which saw brother pit- Courts and the Curia. In this, one of the blackest days of Mifsud Bonnici to take his dangerous times of the dis- eration of Parents-Teachers’ rampage in Valletta, damaging the Law Courts and donations part of the said fees. ted against sister, government against Church and parents Malta’s history, apologies were immediate as Mintoff per- place – the leonine Dom pute with the State on prop- Association, he fronted the attacking the Curia in Floriana. Mintoff apologises Naturally, this brought about a strong reaction from the against neighbours as political division and the seeds of sonally called Archbishop Mercieca to express sympathy Mintoff remained very much erty and education. Mercieca Constitutional case against to Archbishop while Mifsud Bonnici berates Church authorities, who insisted that without the occa- envy and hatred began to rise to the surface. and excuse the worker’s reactions although Mifsud Bon- a force to be reckoned with in was viewed as a moderate the Government to keep sional donations and contributions (apart from the basic nici said that the mob had done much more than was ex- workers for excessive violence, adding that they THE TEACHER’S STRIKe – pOLITICAL VIOLENCe – aGREEMENT local politics: managing mat- compared to his predecessor, Church schools private. did more than was expected of them: ‘ghamiltu school fees), most schools would have to cease operating, pected of them ‘ghamiltu aktar milli stennejna’. It looked ters behind the scenes from the fiery Mgr Mikiel Gonzi. Pope John Paul II – Held as the Church did not have any extra funds to spare for In the meantime, the Malta Union of Teachers had is- as if everything was descending into the maelstrom but af- his office in the House of the meetings with Mintoff, Mer- aktar milli stennejna’. such expenses. sued a directive to its members not to accept employment ter a series of court cases presented by the Archbishop and Four Winds. His final aim Minister of Education (and cieca and the FPTA on the Another new directive which was introduced was the in- with the government if the church school at which they the FPTA, an agreement was finally reached in November before resigning the post of Prime Minister) Karmenu burgeoning crisis. 30 September 1984: Archbishop Mercieca famous ‘20-point system’ where students who came from worked stopped operating. After a rally on the 19 Septem- 1984, with both sides partially ceding some ground and Prime Minister was to bring Mifsud Bonnici: Charles Buttigieg – Edi- state schools were awarded extra points for their eventual ber 1984, the government locked out the teachers who re- the establishment of a Joint Commission on the adminis- orders all 64 Church schools not to open for the about ‘free education for all’, Stoic and determined, the tor of ‘Il-Hajja’ – Church fi- scholastic year. ‘Clandestine lessons’ begin entry into University – a system which put them in an fused to sign a declaration that they would not be obeying tration of Church property. The agreement was officially as clearly espoused in the La- lawyer from a prominent nanced newspaper now no advantageous position when compared to students from union directives. On 30 September, the Archbishop issued signed in Rome on the 27 April 1985 between officials of bour Party’s electoral 1981 Nationalist family in Ham- longer active. Church schools. The die was cast and the conflict was orders for Church schools not to open due to the explosive the Santa Sede and the Maltese government. The agree- manifesto. run was for many years the Eddie Fenech Adami – Op- November 1984: Agreement finally reached slowly but surely coming to a head. situation with several teachers courageously risking har- ment provided for a number of classes to be able to col- legal consultant of the Gen- position leader and subse- between Holy See and government. Teachers’ assment and damage to their own property by opening lect funds while payment for the secondary classes was Archbishop Joseph DEVOLUTION OF CHURCH PROPERTY eral Workers Union, and quent Prime Minister who strike called off and Church schools re-open with their doors to students to give lessons just the same.

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