Bishops in Malta, one of Europe's most Catholic states, have called for national unity and a "calm sense of purpose", amid mass protests over its government's handling of the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a journalist investigating mafia-style corruption.
"Disagreement is inevitable in every society, but we are called to express our legitimate opinions without falling into the trap of hatred, lies and violence", said Archbishop Charles Scicluna, in a joint statement with his auxiliary, Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, and Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo.
The statement was issued as Malta's premier, Joseph Muscat, announced he would resign in mid-January, after at least two ministers in his centre-left government were implicated in judicial investigations into the car-bomb killing of Caruana Galizia.
The Church leaders said they supported an "appeal for unity" by Malta's president, George Vella.
Muscat confirmed his resignation after the Maltese parliament was temporarily blockaded during mass protests in the capital, Valletta, and the European Commission warned his government, which has faced accusations of mafia infiltration, not to meddle politically in the murder investigation.
The Pope received Joseph Muscat in Rome in Saturday, although Vatican officials said his long-planned visit had been downgraded to a private one in light of his resignation.
A senior Spanish Archbishop has expressed alarm over a planned coalition between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party and the radical Unidos Podemos movement, warning their draft agreement embodies an "assault on the person and human dignity".
"This pre-agreement has caused shock as regards the economy and the likely political changes – the negative repercussions have been immediate, leaving us in great fear," Cardinal Antonio Canizares of Valencia told Catholics in a pastoral letter. "If you look closely, it also contains a cultural and anthropological vision of reality which goes beyond economics – a vision of man that seeks to generalise everything, approving euthanasia, extending new rights in gender ideology and radical feminism, and expounding a version of history which fosters hatred and resentment".
The letter was published as Sanchez continued talks with Pablo Iglesias, leader of Unidos Podemos, a month after inconclusive elections to the Spanish parliament. Spain's Socialist Party, the PSOE, headed by Sanchez, has pledged to renounce a series of 1979 agreements with the Vatican and tighten taxation and fiscal controls on the Catholic Church, but won just 120 places in the 350-seat Cortes in 10 November elections, the fourth in four years, forcing it to look for allies.
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