The People project their problems onto Paul and Publius
Publius? This town ain't big enough for the two of us.
Sure, go ahead and let The People decide what Renzo Piano should and shouldn’t do.
They turned yesterday’s Paul-and-Publius pageant into a Punch and Judy show, treating the saint’s statues as animated beings with personalities, who took offence and involved everyone else in the argument.
The Catholic Church organised this thing to commemorate the welcome of Paul to Malta by Publius, and it was done to mark the end of the international Catholic year dedicated to St Paul.
The Times reports today that when the event was announced, rival supporters of Floriana (ta’ San Pubbliju) and of Valletta (ta’ San Pawl) tried to stop it going ahead.
One Pawlinu told the reporter: “This is a feast dedicated to the birth of St Paul, it is a celebration of the man, not of his journey in Malta, so what does St Publius have to do with it?”
Christian Peregin also reports (and this is my absolute favourite bit): “Another said he was boycotting the event and had taken the Church’s decision so much to heart that he was adamant not to hear Mass in his parish until his hurt subsided.”
As for Renzo Piano, who needs him? “Another enthusiast, who accompanied the statue of St Publius to City Gate yesterday, said most of the people of Floriana had gleefully looked forward to taking over their rival’s feast: ‘Valletta never looked so dignified. This is a better project for the city than Renzo Piano’s’.”
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One should always listen carefully to the people’s voice … whatever they might say … and provide it with headline news … very interesting !
And you believe what Peregin wrote?
[Daphne – Yes.]
@ John Schembri
I was there…and Peregin wrote the absolute truth.
[Daphne – Yes, John. Christian Peregin is one of my son’s oldest friends. They were in the same class at school for around 12 years. He was that unusual thing: a boy who went out to buy newspapers and who read them, and who was always keen to find out what was going on and to discuss matters. I think I can vouch for his integrity.]
kemm qeghdin sew
Dont’ be surprised by the likes who accompany the statue of their favourite saint. You can expect such an attitude. What I did not expect was the tone of Kenneth Zammit Tabona’s article in The Times. What have the Piano plans got to do with the government and its administration?
You don’t argue against the proposed plans by pouring out all that hdura against the present administration. He should have saved it for another article.
I see that you are one who defines “hdura” as “anything you do not agree with”.
While some details from Maltese history are not commonly known (I didn’t learn the full story about St Paul from school but much later and only because I wanted to read more about the subject), the people who are fanatics of “their” saint should know a thing or two.
But blind dedication to the cause is enough for them and the people in charge isn’t it?
Far be it from me to have any wish to stir a hornet’s nest but Acts nowhere mentions that the “Protos” (chief man) of Malta, Publius, whose father Paul is reported to have cured, ever converted to Christianity. Nor does Acts say that Paul made any converts in Malta, for that matter, or even preached or baptized anyone though one might suppose that he did, being the roving missionary that he was. But then, why does Acts not say so?
The archeological record is also silent on this topic of Christianity in Malta dating back to the first century. It is just tradition, the antiquity of which is unknown but very probably dates only to the post-Arab period. How Publius, chief man of Malta, is said to have been canonized is a mystery to me. Indeed, it seems clearly a question of homonimy with St. Publius of Athens who succeeded St. Denys who was the first bishop of the See of Athens established by Paul.
How this theatrical “encounter” between St. Paul and a St. Publius who had nothing to do with the “protos” of Malta was given official sanction by the Church in Malta leaves me mystified. Or is anything justifiable as long as we show that we are the last bastion of Catholicism in Europe?
[Daphne – Not to put too fine a point on it or anything, but if the people of these islands (not ‘Maltese’) switched religions after a brief stop-over by an unknown man under arrest on the way to execution, then the chicken-brain tendency has even deeper roots than I thought.]
The funny thing is that they would have us believe that “the people of these islands switched religion after a brief stop-over…” but did not do so during 200 years of Muslim hegemony. Am I missing something here?
There is no archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta before the 4th century A.D.
I think the Valletta Pawlini enjoyed the event as the Floriana people did. I was present and the feeling was not as described by The Times.
Mela kont qed tohlom….jew kont qieghed timagina kif gej il-parlament il-gdid.
You see why I don’t believe such reports. L-orizzont used to be full of such reports. “imkejjen soltu nfurmati tajjeb”. “A lager lout holding wearing a green bandana said…..” If the Times is keen on reporting stupidity it will degenerate into a tabloid. One has to report the general feeling not exceptional stupidity.
[Daphne -Is stupidity exceptional?]
I think that The Times are taking a very small sample from the enthusiasts of both St. Paul and St. Publius. Most of the enthusiasts (including me, a St. Paul enthusiast) enjoyed the event as a rare occasion. Most of us ended up discussing several things peacefully with people from Floriana. For most of the people of Valletta and Floriana, this was an occasion where our differences were put aside and we celebrated our faith. Still, there are always the few who do not manage to put aside their differences and try to make an issue out of it.
I am not at all surprised that so many silly things were said about the Paul-and-Publius meeting. Yesterday and today, amongst other things, I heard the anti PN mention that Lorry Sant did a much better job at the MCC and, also, that if he was still alive he would have done a better job than Piano.
The name Renzo Piano is a guarantee of fine works as much as Rolls Royce is a guarantee of fine engineering. However, I must admit that I am not sure about the topless former opera house in foul weather although I am sure Piano has a just explanation for having chosen to do so.
[Daphne – Simple: it won’t be used in foul weather. There are other theatres for the winter, which people find unbearable in the summer.]
What is all this annoying whinging against a roofless theatre in a country that is guaranteed a long stretch of excellent weather? Piano’s plans make excellent use of the site while giving dignity to the ruins which in themselves have become a monument. A dignity which, I hasten to add, we were never capable of giving them despite all the eulogies in the newspapers. Do people still want a monstrous copy of a monstrosity? I give up.
What bl**dy petty-mindedness!
You can write ‘bloody’ without the asterisks, Mrs Mallia, it’s passed the trials of political correctness.
Viva San Pupulju! U San Files ukoll…
These traditional Maltese feasts and their organisers, always make it a point to offend my intelligence. That’s why I try and avoid such events.
An attempt to have both statutes carried in procession was made during celebration of the 19th centenary of S Paul shipwreck in 1960, but all efforts failed as both sides expected their own statute to be ‘visited’ by the other…and no such thing as meeting half-way along the route – which appears to have been done now – Publius going down Republic Street from the Floriana end, and Paul coming up Republic Street from the palace end, coming together near the Royal Pharmacy.
I liked the one about the guy who commented to The Times that he was so offended that the Publius statue had invaded St. Paul’s territory that he is not going to mass at St Paul’s Church until his anger has subsided.
Fanaticism seems to know no boundaries, even though I have to admit that we are probably birds of a feather with the southern Italians:
http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/bari/notizie/cronaca/2009/30-giugno-2009/san-giovanni-rotondo-pronta-criptadi-padre-pio-ma-scoppia-polemica-1601519720246.shtml
Well, at lest it has a roof.
And the Spaniards.