The zeal of hope -- Il-ħrara tat-tama

The past Saturday 19th May, I was one of countless millions around the world glued to the TV screen, to follow the marriage of Prince Harry with Megan Markle from the USA.

 

I hadn’t been planning to follow this.

 

Normally, I wouldn’t be one to feel some sympathy for families that are born and spend their entire lives in extraordinary privilege as those considered royal, or inheriting vast fortunes.  I have to add however that that such thoughts often morph into a realisation of the privileges I myself had in my own life: parents who loved me, who not everyone has; always having a roof over my head, as opposed to those wretched persons roughing it out on the streets; leaving my own country for another was my own choice, rather than being forced to do so by danger, hunger or persecution; and I could go on.

 

Although I don’t even have the fascination that so many people have in knowing even their most mundane intricacies, I found myself following the named wedding, probably as I remember the other wedding of the British royal family, that of Harry’s mother Diana to Prince Charles, a story that as we know ended tragically.

 

I’m not sorry for following the event, as there was one part I felt was the highlight of the wedding that I will remember for a long time, and I’m not referring to the moment when the bride and groom said “I do”.

 

During the wedding, a sermon was made by Rev. Michael Curry, an African-American bishop from the Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican communion.  What a sermon it was!

 

The sermon’s theme was love, which he said was as strong as death, and if mankind is able to discover and control this power, it would have made a discovery on the par of that of fire.

 

He invited those present: royals, aristocrats, the well known and famous in different spheres, and naturally the millions around the world following the wedding, to imagine, even for a moment, a world led by sacrifice, the absence of egoism, the redemptive power of love, and the implications this would have in homes and families, communities, governments and countries, business and commerce.

 

He described this environment as one in which no child will sleep hungry again, justice flows like a river, poverty becomes history, the earth becomes a sanctuary, swords and shields are put away and no other war is undertaken, and finally, there is enough space for all God’s children.1

 

He spoke with such eloquence, conviction and zeal that I found myself inspired.  He reminded me once again how someone can inspire you even from outside your normal spiritual environment, which for me is the Catholic one.

 

I started to picture the zeal with which Jesus himself probably spoke with; one which led his apostles to leave all they were doing to follow him; a zeal that led him to preach to a crowd of thousands and the well-known miracle story of loaves and fishes.  What has happened to this zeal after his death?  Is it enough that Christianity is the biggest religion on the planet?

 

Why is it that in countries around the world, including where Christianity is predominant, there are people without a roof over their head, others live in humiliating and hopeless poverty, the environment is only protected subject to the economy being unaffected, a country behaves so brutally with those knocking its doors to escape an enemy or to simply ask for something to eat?  What love is this?

 

Why does my own church, the Catholic one, have the highest proportion of cases of sexual abuse of children in its institutions in Australia?  Why did its leaders move the abuse perpetrators from one parish to another, which allowed the abuse to continue?  What love was this?

 

Why did a similar abuse that happened in Chile result in the Catholic church authorities there to lie to the Pope himself on what had happened, who for a long time not only believed them but appointed as bishop one of those accused of abuse.  Now we’ve found out that all the bishops there have offered their resignation.2  What love had they been showing?

 

In my life, I have learnt that no one has a monopoly of the truth, not even the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church.  You can encounter a word of solace or spiritual comfort, be struck by an observation full of wisdom about a situation or Scripture, from any person, as you could naturally also encounter the opposite.  Who does not recognise the spiritual strength of the messages of people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Dalai Lama?

 

And for those inspired by the message of Jesus, you can find individuals today including in the clergy who are able to explain this marvellous person’s 2000 year old message in such a simple, relevant, alive and full of love, challenging you to let his message transform your life.  

 

From my side, I have always searched for those who inspire me in this way, so that my weekly Sunday church attendance becomes more relevant.  This Rev. Curry would for me fall into this category.  May God bless and support him in his work.

 

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Nhar is-Sibt 19 ta’ Mejju li għadda, kont wieħed minn tant miljuni madwar id-dinja quddiem l-iskrin tat-televiżjoni, sabiex insegwi t-tieġ tal-Prinċep Harry tal-Ingilterra ma’ Meghan Markle mill-Istati Uniti.  

 

Min-naħa tiegħi ma’ kontx qiegħed nippjana li nsegwiha.

 

Normalment, m’iniex wieħed li jħoss xi simpatija ma’ familji li jitwieldu u jgħaddu ħajjithom f’privileġġi straordinarju bħal dawk meqjusin rjali, jew li wirtu ġid ta’ barra minn hawn.  Irrid ngħid madankollu li dawn il-ħsibijiet spiss jinbidlu fl-għarfien li privileġġi kelli f’ħajti jien ukoll: ġenituri li ħabbewni, li mhux kulħadd għandu; dejjem kelli saqaf fuq rasi, mhux bħal dawk l-imsejkna li jinsabu fit-triq; tlaqt minn pajjiżi għal ieħor għax ridt, mhux għax kont sfurzat minn periklu, ġuħ jew persekuzzjoni, u nista’ nibqa sejjer hekk.

 

Għalkemm lanqas għandi l-faxxinu li għandhom tant nies li jkunu jafu l-intriċċi anke l-iktar mondani tagħhom, sibt ruħi nsegwi t-tieġ imsemmi, probabbli għax ftakart fit-tieġ l-ieħor tal-familja rjali Ingliża, dik ta’ omm Harry, jiġifieri ta’ Diana mal-Prinċep Karlu, storja li bħal ma nafu ntemmet traġikament bħal ma nafu.

Ma jiddispjaċinix li segwejt l-avveniment, għax kien hemm parti li ħassejt li kienet il-quċċata tat-tieġ li nibqa’ niftakarha, u m’iniex qiegħed nirreferi għall-mument meta l-għarajjes qalu “signor si” (bl-Ingliż, s’intendi).

 

Waqt it-tieġ, għamel priedka ir-Reverendu Michael Curry, Isqof Afrikan-Amerikan tal-Kknisja Episkopali, parti mill-Komunjoni Anglikana.  U x’priedka kienet!

 

It-tema kienet l-imħabba, li iddeskriviha bħala qawwija daqs il-mewt, u li jekk il-bniedem jiskopri din il-qawwa u jagħraf jikkontrollaha, ikun għamel skoperta oħra daqs l-iskoperta tan-nar.  

 

Stieden lil dawk preżenti, id-dinjiet irjali, aristokratiċi, l-imlaħħqa u l-famużi ta’ oqsma differenti, u naturalment lil dawk il-miljuni li kienu qiegħdin isegwu t-tieġ madwar id-dinja, biex jimmaġinaw, imqar għal mument, dinja mmexxija bis-sagrifiċċju, in-nuqqas ta’ egoiżmu u l-fidwa tal-imħabba,  x’implikazzjonijiet ikollha fid-djar u l-familji, fil-komunitajiet, gvernijiet u pajjiżi, in-negozju u l-kummerċ.

 

Spjega li f’ambjent bħal dan, l-ebda wild ma jerġa jorqod bil-ġuħ, il-ġustizzja tnixxi bħal xmara, il-faqar jibqa’ jissemma biss fl-istorja, id-dinja ssir santwarju, jitniżżlu x-xwabel u  t-trieki u ma ssir l-ebda gwerra oħra, u finalment, ikun hawn biżżejjed post għall-ulied kollha t’Alla.1

 

Tkellem b’tant konvinzjoni, elokwenza u ħrara li sibt ruħi ispirat.  Reġa fakkarni għal darb’oħra kemm bniedem jista’ jispirak minn barra l-ambjent komunitarju u spiritwali tiegħek, li għalija huwa dak Kattoliku.

 

Bdejt nimmaġina l-ħrara li biha aktarx tkellem Ġesù nnifsu; ħrara li wasslet lill-appostli biex jitilqu kull ma kienu qiegħdin jagħmlu biex jimxu warajh;  ħrara li wasslitu jippriedka lil miġemgħa ta’ eluf u wasslet għall-istorja magħrufa tal-miraklu tal-ħames ħobżiet u ż-żewġ ħutiet.  X’saret minn din il-ħrara wara mewtu?  Biżżejjed li l-Krisjaneżmu huwa l-ikbar reliġjon fid-dinja?

 

Għalfejn fil-pajjiżi madwar id-dinja, inklużi fejn il-Kristjaneżmu huwa predominanti, hemm nies bla saqaf fuq rashom, oħrajn li jgħixu ġo faqar umiljanti u bla tama, l-ambjent jiġi mħares biss jekk ma titfixkilx l-ekonomija, il-pajjiż ikun tant aħrax ma’ min iħabbatlu l-bieb biex jistkenn minn xi għadu li jwaħħax jew biex jitrejjaq?  Din x’imħabbi hi?

 

Għalfejn il-knisja tiegħi, dik Kattolika, għandha l-ikbar proporzjon ta’ każi ta’ abbuż sesswali tat-tfal f’istituzzjonijiet tagħha fl-Awstralja?  Għalfejn il-mexxejja mexxew lil dawk li wettqu l-abbuż minn parroċċapost għall-ieħoroħra, ħaġa li ppermettiet lil dan l-abbuż jitkompla?  X’imħabba kienet din?

 

Għaliex abbuż simili li seħħ fiċ-Ċile wassal biex l-awtoritajiet tal-Knisja Kattolika t’hemmhekk tigdeb lill-Papa nnifsu fuq dak li sar, li għal żmien twil mhux biss emminhom imma laħħaq isqof lil  wieħed akkużat b’abbuż.  Issa sirna nafu li l-isqfijiet kollha t’hemmhekk offrew ir-riżenja tagħhom.2  X’imħabba kienu qiegħdin juru?

 

Jien f’ħajti tgħallimt li l-verità mhija monopolju ta’ ħadd, lanqas tal-Knisja Kattolika Appostolika Rumana.  Tista’ tiltaqa’ ma’ kelma ta’ faraġ, issib serħan spiritwali, tibqa’ skantat b’osservazzjoni ta’ għerf fuq sitwazzjoni jew l-Iskritturaimġieba partikolari, minn kwalunkwe persuna, bħal ma naturalment tista’ tiltaqa’ mal-oppost.  Min ma jagħrafx il-qawwa spiritwali tal-messaġġ ta’ nies bħal Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi u Dalai LamaMadre Tereża?

 

U għal dawk bħali li huma ispirati mill-messaġġ ta’ Ġesùu, tista’ ssib individwi llum inkluż fil-kleru li kapaċi jispjegaw lillil-messaġġ ta’ din il-persuna meraviljuża li ġie elfejn sena ilu b’mod tant sempliċi, ħaj, rilevanti u mimli mħabba, li jisfidawk sabiex tħalli l-kelma tiegħu jittrasformawlek ħajtek.  

 

Jien ngħid għalija, dejjem fittixt lil min jispirani b’dan il-mod, ħalli kemm jista’ jkun il-mawra fil-knisja ta’ nhar ta’ Ħadd tkun l-iktar rilevanti.  Dan ir-Reverendu Curry nista’ ngħid li kieku għalija jaqa’ f’din il-kategorija.  Alla jbierku u jsostnih fil-ħidma tiegħu.

 

 

1http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-20/royal-wedding-meghan-markle-upstaged-by-reverend-michael-curry/9779990, retrieved 20/5/2018

2https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/world/europe/chile-bishops-resign-sex-abuse-francis.html, retrieved 20/5/2018

1http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-20/royal-wedding-meghan-markle-upstaged-by-reverend-michael-curry/9779990, retrieved 20/5/2018

2https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/world/europe/chile-bishops-resign-sex-abuse-francis.html, retrieved 20/5/2018

Embryo freezing and surrogacy -- L-iffriżar tal-embrijuni u s-surrogazzjoni

Currently the Maltese parliament is discussing amendments to embryo protection legislation passed by the Nationalist government in 2012.  In that law, in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) was permitted, with these regulations (amongst others):1

• •fertilisation of a maximum of two eggs from a single treatment cycle; 

• •prohibition of embryo freezing; 

• •prohibition of surrogacy (that is when a woman carries out a pregnancy with an embryo for another intended parent). 

 

The current Labour government is proposing these amendments (amongst others):2

• •the quantity of fertilised eggs can go up to three in the first cycle and five in subsequent ones; 

• •a maximum of two embryos can be transferred to the woman, with the others being frozen; 

• •if frozen embryos are unutilised by their parents, they are given to the state to begin the process of embryo adoption to others; 

• •altruistic surrogacy be introduced by separate Legal Notice. 

 

It’s probably a truism that wherever there is life, there is a huge controversy and a hot debate.  I’ve observed this in Australia and as expected is happening in Malta too.

 

In mid-May, around 100 academics from the University of Malta expressed their concern about these proposed amendments.3  Many of them are well known and respected in their field in the country, others lectured while I was a student there and still others were my personal friends many years ago.  I respect them all, and nothing of the following diminishes this.

 

Parts of their concern are also mine, however another part I feel does not have a solid foundation or is based on a fear of what might or might not happen, and finally there is a declaration which is an opinion that is debatable.

 

One of the main objection of the academics is that many frozen embryos would remain unwanted, as considered inferior and a higher age than those transferred fresh to the woman’s womb, and we’d end up with an embryo orphanage.  I don’t think this fear is realistic.  Here in Australia, where IVF has long been carried out and regulated for years, there is quite a demand for frozen embryos, from heterosexual and homosexual/lesbian couples and even single persons, especially females.  The biggest problem a parent has when wishing to donate embryos to someone else is that of the choice of the best intended person from a queue, rather than not finding anybody!

 

Therefore the declaration that the government’s proposals will ‘invariably and inevitably, create a surplus of embryos’ seems to me to be an exaggeration.

 

The academics also mentioned the subject of surrogacy, saying that women would become commoditised, that parenthood would become trivialised and maternity fragmented as an offspring might have up to three mothers.  This latter comment is clearly true, but I’m surprised by the other comments.  I would ask, have the academics ever in fact talked to a surrogate mother before signing the declaration?

 

Over the years I’ve met several women who have carried out surrogacy.  I’ve always been impressed by the deep thought that went into what they were planning to do, with their determination to help couples having fertility difficulties, even when taking a big risk to their own health and a significant disruption to their families, all while acknowledging and accepting that the child being carried is not their own.

 

I marvel that people do exist in this world who have this huge sense of personal sacrifice for others, an attitude please forgive me for describing as Christian.

 

The surrogate mothers I know or know about have a good relationship with the child they brought into the world and with the parents they have helped to form a family.  The child with time is provided with information about what happened, and has the opportunity to see, communicate with and meet the surrogate mother as much as possible, not less than a traditional extended family.  Quite opposite to being ‘strangers’ as written by the academics.

 

Naturally, not all stories end up positively, and the academics provided one example of this and I know of others.  What are we trying to convey, that traditional families are problem-free?

 

I think it is futile to continue maintaining the model of the Holy Family as the only acceptable family model for society.  This model has nothing wrong, but the truth is that today other family models exist, and these deserve respect and a legal framework as much as traditional families.  It is fine for society to have rules which after consideration it decides need to be there, but trying to stop the clock on social progress being a response to a social need, will not fly.

 

There were other points of criticism with which I agreed, amongst others that the government wants to decriminalise surrogacy by simple Legal Notice and not through a parliamentary process.  I think the subject requires a more intensive scrutiny than that.

 

Also the point made that oocytes (the female egg) could be frozen as an alternative to freezing embryos, is a good one for those who choose to do so.

 

I augur all concerned to take a deep breath!

 

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Bħalissa fil-parlament Malti qiegħdin jiġu dikussi emendi tal-liġi fuq il-protezzjoni tal-embrijuni li kien għadda l-gvern Nazzjonalista fl-2012.  B’dik il-liġi, il-fertilizzazzjoni artifiċjali (IVF) kien ġie permess, b’dawn ir-regolamenti (fost l-oħrajn):4

• •fertilizzazzjoni massimu ta’ żewġ bajdiet f’ċiklu wieħed ta’ trattament; 

• •il-projbizzjoni tal-iffriżar tal-embrijuni; 

• •il-projbizzjoni tas-surrogazzjoni (jiġifieri fejn mara ġġorrtagħmel tqala b’ embrijun intenzjonat għal ġenitur ieħor). 

 

Il-gvern preżenti Laburista qiegħed jipproponi dawn l-emendi (fost l-oħrajn):5

• •l-ammont ta’ bajdiet fertilizzati jista’ jitla’ għal tlieta fl-ewwel ċiklu u ħamsa f’oħrajn; 

• •massimu ta’ żewġ embrijuni jiġu ttrasferiti ġewwa l-mara, l-oħrajn jiġu ffriżati; 

• •l-embrijuniu ffriżati jekk ma jintużawx mill-ġenituri tagħhom, jingħataw lill-iSstat li jibda proċess ta’ adozzjoni tal-embrijuni lil ħaddieħor; 

• •is-surrogazzjoni altruista tiġi introdotta b’regolamenti (Legal Notice) separati. 

 

Kull fejn tidħol il-ħajja, jikun hemm kontroversja sħiħa u dibattitu sħun.  Dan osservajtu fl-Awstralja, u bħal mhu mistenni qiegħed isir f’Malta wkoll.

 

F’nofs Mejju, madwar 100 akkademiku tal-Università f’Malta esprimew it-tħassib tagħhom fuq dawn l-emendi proposti.6  Ħafna minnhom huma magħrufa sew u rrispettati fil-qasam tagħhom fil-pajjiż, oħrajn għallmuni meta kont student l-Università u oħrajn saħansitra kont ħbieb personali tagħhom ħafna snin ilu.  Kollha għandi rispett lejhom, u b’dan li se nikteb xejn ma jnaqqas dan.

 

Parti mit-tħassib tagħhom huwa tiegħi ukoll, madankollu parti oħra jidhirli li m’għandux bażi soda jew huwa bbażat fuq biża’ ta’ xi ħaġa li tista’ sseħħ jew fil-fatt ma sseħx, u fl-aħħarnett hemm stqarrija li hija opinjoni li hija dibattibbli.

 

Waħda mill-oġġezzjonijiet prinċipali tal-akkademiċi hi li ħafna mill-embrijuni ffriżati jispiċċa ma jridhom ħadd, għax meqjusa inferjuri u ta’ età iktar għolja minn dawk li jkunu ttrasferiti ġo ġuf ta’ mara mingħajr iffriżar, u nispiċċaw b’orfanotrofju tal-embrijuni.  Jien din il-biża’ ma narahiex realistika.  Hawnhekk fl-Awstralja, fejn l-IVF ilu jsir u rregolamentat is-snin, hawn domanda mhux żgħira għall-embrijuni ffri\ati, minn koppji eterosesswali, omosesswali/lesbjani u anke persuni waħedhom, speċjalment in-nisa.  L-ikbar problema li jsib ġenitur li jixtieq jagħmel donazzjoni ta’ embrijuni lil ħaddieħor hija dik tal-għażla tal-aħjar ġenituri prospettivi minn kju, mhux li ma jsib lil ħadd!.

 

Għalhekk, id-dikjarazzjoni li l-proposti tal-gvern sejrin ‘invarjabbilment u inevitabbilment, jikkrejaw surplus ta’ embrijuni’ naraha esaġerata.

 

L-akkademiċi jittrattaw ukoll is-suġġett tas-surrogazzjoni, jgħidu li n-nisa jispiċċaw ikkommodotizzati, li tkun ġenitur jispiċċa ttrivjalizzat, u l-maternità fframmentata għax wild jista’ jkollu sa tliet ommijiet.  Dan tal-aħħar huwa minnu, imma niskanta bil-kummenti l-oħrata’ trivjalizzazzjoni u kkommodifikazzjoni.  Jien nistaqsi, dawn l-akkademiċi qatt fil-fatt tkellmu ma’ omm surrogata qabel ma ffirmaw din id-dikjarazzjoni?

 

Jien ngħid għalija matul is-snin iltqajt ma’ diversi nisa li għamluha ta’ surrogata.  Dejjem bqajt impressjonat bis-sens ta’ dedikazzjoni tagħhombil-ħsieb profond tagħhom fuq dak li kienu sejrin jagħmlu, bid-determinazzjoni li jgħinu lill-koppji li għandhom diffikultajiet ta’ fertilità, anki b’riskju kbir għas-saħħa tagħhom u skomdu kbir għall-familja tagħhom, bl-għarfien u l-aċċettar li t-tarbija li qiegħdin iġorru mhix tagħhom.  

 

Nimmeravilja ruħi li hawn nies f’din id-dinja li għandhom dan is-sens kbir ta’ sagrifiċċju personali għal ħaddieħor, attitudni li ppermettuli nsejħilha Nisranija.

 

In-nisa surrogati li naf jew naf bihom jien għandhom relazzjoni tajba mat-tarbija li ġabu fid-dinja u mal-ġenituri li għenuhom isawru familja.  It-tarbija maż-żmien tingħata informazzjoni fuq dak li ġara, u jkollha l-opportunità li tara, tikkomunika u tiltaqa’ mal-omm surrogata tagħha safejn u sakemm ikun possibbli, xejn inqas minn familja estiża tradizzjonali.  Altru milli jkunu ‘stranġieri’ kif kitbu l-akkademiċi.

 

Naturalment, mhux l-istejjer kollha jintemmu daqshekk pożittivi, u l-akkademiċi taw eżempju wieħed ta’ dan, u jien naf b’oħrajn.  X’qed nippruvaw ngħidu, li l-familji tradizzjonali m’għandhomx problemi tagħhom ukoll?

 

Jien naraha inutli li nkomplu nżommu l-mudell tas-Sagra Familja bħala l-uniku mudell aċċettabbli għal familji fis għas-soċjetà.  Dan il-mudell assolutament m’għandu xejn ħażin, imma l-verità hi li llum hawn forom oħra ta’ familji, u dawn jistħoqqilhom rispett u qafas legali daqs familji tradizzjonali.  Tajjeb li jkun hemm ir-regoli li s-soċjetà tasal biex taqbel li għandhom ikunu hemm, iżda li tipprova twaqqaf l-arloġġ tal-iżvilupp soċjali mmexxi minn ħtieġa soċjali, mhux se taħdem.

 

Kien hemm fejn qbilt mal-kritika tal-akkademiċi, fosthom li l-gvern irid jiddekriminalizza s-surrogazzjoni sempliċement b’regolamenti u mhux bi proċess parlamentari.  Naħseb li s-suġġett jirrikjedi skrutinju iktar intensiv minn daqshekk.  Ukoll l-iffriżar tal-ooċit (bajda tal-mara), bħala alternattiva għall-iffriżar tal-embrijun, hija waħda tajba għal min jixtieq jagħmel hekk.

 

Jien nawgura li lkoll nieħdu nifs qawwi ’l ġewwa!

1Embryo Protection Act 2012

2An Act to amend the Embryo Protection Act, Cap. 524

3Embryo Protection (Amendment) Bill; Bill No. 38 (2018); Matters of Concern

4Embryo Protection Act 2012

5An Act to amend the Embryo Protection Act, Cap. 524

6Embryo Protection (Amendment) Bill; Bill No. 38 (2018); Matters of Concern