APS Project

Project held by APS & - Curated by Kevin Casha Diversity in Religion and Spirituality For many people, the term “spiritual diversity” is about having respect for and displaying love, understanding, compassion and kindness towards the unique spiritual experiences and expressions of each person. Spirituality is thought of as an individual dimension of human development, in which each and every being seeks connectedness, life meaning, and purposeful activity – regardless of any specific manifestation. In the same manner, one can have respect for many spiritual traditions without losing or betraying one’s own faith. The predominant religion in Malta is Roman Catholicism. The Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion and it is also reflected in various elements of the Maltese culture. However, since we are living in a continuously developing multicultural society, different religions and cultures are expanding rapidly. In Malta there are around 20,000 people coming from different nationalities, the vast majority of them are from outside the European Union. Religion has been, and still is a very sensitive subject, more often than usual it is interpreted as a misconception of political authority. Beliefs and practices is what makes a religion. it is widely agreed that a Religion could be a system that can at times control and brainwash. Despite all this, in 2013 Malta launched an “Intercultural Project” which was aimed to develop various sites in Malta, that would help third country nationals integrate their beliefs and religious practice into the Maltese society. Furthermore, despite Catholicism being the state religion, Malta still embraces several places of worship connected to other religions. I have personally had the honor to attend and experience several ceremonies and practices held by the various religions in Malta. Despite the tangible and evident differences in the practices and ceremonies, I could evidently notice that the core fundamentals are much the same. This brings us to understand the beauty of diversity in spirituality and Religion, where anyone should be free to endorse and practice his own beliefs whilst respecting other opinions, cultures and societies. Diversity is beautiful in its own way; it’s just another way of adding different shades of colors to our own living world.