Church and State in Malta The Archbishop of Malta, on
Thursday, May 1st, issued a pastoral letter, the effect of which was to pronounce it a mortal sin for anyone to vote for the Government party in the forthcoming elections. This week he has banned in the same way two newspapers, which support Lord Strickland and the Goverrunent. This is the sequel to an incident when Lord Strickland, who is himself a Roman Catholk,- quashed an order of the head of the Franciscan community in Malta, transferring a friar of that com- munity to Sicily. The order was contrary to the priest's will and rights as a British citizen. Subsequently the Pope refused, on overtures being made by the Imperial Government, to consider a concordat while Lord Strickland remained in office. The Foreign Office and the Vatican are, therefore, at a deadlock. The elections in Malta have been wisely suspended. It is difficult to imagine what the Vatican hopes to gain by this return to the methods of the dark ages, though we do not believe for a moment that the recent rapprochement between Vatican and Quirinal has led His Holiness to listen to Italian irredentist claims to Malta.
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