Current Status and Law
The Constitution of Malta provides for freedom of religion but establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion. Freedom House and the World Factbook report that 98 percent of the Maltese religion is Roman Catholic, making the nation one of the most Catholic countries in the world. As at 2005, the rate of regular mass attendance was estimated at 52.6 percent (51 percent for Malta Island, 72.7 percent for Gozo), compared to 63.4 percent in 1995. There are two territorial jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Malta and the Diocese of Gozo.
In public schools religious instruction in Roman Catholicism is part of the curriculum but students may opt to decline participation in religious lessons. Subsidies are granted to private Catholic schools.
Pope John Paul II made a total of three pastoral visits to Malta–twice in 1990 and once in 2001, during which he beatified three Maltese.
Religious toleration is the norm, and the two percent of the population that is not Roman Catholic mainly consist of small communities of Muslims and Jews, in addition to Anglican and Protestant communities consisting mostly of British retirees. There is one Muslim religious school in the country, and the government had approved plans for a 500-grave Muslim cemetery.
The percentage of people that attend mass in every locality of Malta:
Locality | % of attenders |
---|---|
Mdina - St. Paul | 88% |
Kerċem - St. Gregory and Our Lady of Health | 86% |
San Lawrenz - St. Lawrence | 85% |
Fontana - Sacred Heart of Jesus | 83% |
Lija - Transfiguration of Jesus | 78% |
Victoria, Gozo - St. Mary and St. George | 77% |
Xewkija - St. John the Baptist | 75% |
Xagħra - Nativity of Our Lady | 74% |
Għarb - Visitation of Our Lady | 75% |
Għajnsielem - Our Lady of Loreto | 73% |
Qala - St. Joseph | 72% |
Mġarr - St. Mary | 72% |
Sannat - St. Margharite | 70% |
Għargħur- St. Bartholomew | 67% |
Għasri - Corpus Christi | 66% |
Nadur - St. Peter and St. Paul | 66% |
Balzan - The Annunciation | 66% |
Munxar - St. Paul | 64% |
Gudja - The Assumption of Our Lady | 60% |
Mosta - The Assumption of Our Lady | 60% |
Iklin - Holy Family | 60% |
Siġġiewi - St. Nicholas | 58% |
Rabat - St. Paul | 58% |
Dingli - The Assumption of Our Lady | 57% |
Attard - The Assumption of Our Lady | 57% |
Tarxien - The Annunciation | 55% |
Żebbuġ, Malta - St. Philip of Aggira | 54% |
Qormi - Parish of St. George and Parish of St. Sebastian | 54% |
Naxxar - Our Lady of Victory | 54% |
Santa Luċija - St. Pius X | 54% |
Ħamrun - Parish of St. Cajten and Parish of the Immaculate Conception | 54% |
Mellieħa - Our Lady of Victory | 53% |
Qrendi - The Assumption of Our Lady | 53% |
Żabbar - Our Lady of Graces | 53% |
Paola - Parish of Christ the King and Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes | 52% |
Marsaxlokk Our Lady of Pompeii | 52% |
Floriana - St. Publius | 52% |
Mqabba - The Assumption of Our Lady | 52% |
Żebbuġ, Gozo - The Assumption of Our Lady | 52% |
Żurrieq - St. Catherine of Alexandria | 51% |
Marsa - Parish of the Holy Trinity and Parish of Maria Regina | 51% |
Għaxaq - The Assumption of Our Lady | 51% |
Pembroke | 51% |
Kalkara - St. Joseph | 51% |
Żejtun - St. Catherine of Alexandria | 50% |
Safi - St. Paul | 49% |
Fgura - Our Lady of Monte Carmel | 47% |
Valletta - Parish of St. Paul's Shipwreck, Parish of Our Lady of Porto Salvo, and Parish of St. Augustine | 47% |
Kirkop - St. Leonard | 45% |
Birgu - St. Lawrence | 45% |
Msida - St. Joseph | 45% |
Birżebbuġa - St. Peter in Chains | 43% |
San Ġwann - Our Lady of Lourdes | 43% |
Mtarfa - St. Lucy | 42% |
Gżira - Our Lady of Monte Carmel | 41% |
Swieqi - The Immaculate Conception | 41% |
Marsaskala - St. Anne | 40% |
Bormla - The Immaculate Conception | 39% |
Luqa - St. Andrew | 39% |
Pietà - Our Lady of Fatima | 38% |
Isla - Our Lady of Victory | 37% |
San Pawl il-Baħar - Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, Parish of Sacred Heart of Mary, and Parish of St. Frances of Assisi | 36% |
Other totals of people attend to mass, because these localities are not in percentage:
Locality | total of attenders |
---|---|
Balluta - Our Lady of Monte Carmel | 1,284 |
Birkirkara - Parish of St. Helen, Parish of Our Lady of Monte Carmel, Parish of St. Mary and Parish of St. Joseph the Worker | 9,851 |
San Ġiljan - St. Julian | 3,267 |
Santa Venera - St. Venera | 2,508 |
Sliema - Parish of Stella Maris, Parish of Sacro Cour, Parish of St. Gregory the Great, and Parish of Jesus of Nazzareth | 5,585 |
Additionally, between a quarter and a fifth of mass attendees, are active members of a Church Movement, group or initiatives such as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the Neocatechumenal Way, the Legion of Mary, Opus Dei, Youth Fellowship and other Church groups within the parish. Malta also has the highest number of members of the Neocatechumenal Way per population in the world.
Malta is the only country in Europe that does not permit divorce. Performing abortion on Maltese territory is also illegal, though over the years several loopholes (non-inclusion of outer territorial waters, no mention of advertising) permitted individuals to circumvent the ban for limited time periods. In an SMS poll, Malta chose the Maltese cross to be the image on the Maltese Euro and rejected one of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, which had garnered a strong majority in a previous poll, after attracting opposition even from the Local Bishops who did not see it fit to place Jesus' face on a coin.
Read more about this topic: Christianity In Malta
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