Introduction

I finally mustered the courage to share with my fellow Maltese brothers and sisters that I have been conducting my doctoral research on the penalty of interdict in the Roman Catholic Church. I was brought up in 1990s Malta, and I have heard stories and seen things happen with my own eyes. One thing I never understood was why some men (even women, but mostly men) got up and stood next to the exit doors right before the priest distributed Communion. It was only a couple of years ago that I realised how the effects of the interdict in the 1960s were still lurking within Maltese society.

Why this topic?

One can easily see, especially on social media posts, how everything- every reaction, every answer, every bit of local news- diverges to that moment in time, as if Malta paused in the 1960s, never to move forward. With that said, I felt something within me urging me to dig into this period, but not from a historical perspective, as that is not my area of expertise. I felt a sense of responsibility as a Maltese lay canon lawyer to tackle this dark period in Malta’s history from a canon law perspective, something I believe has not yet been done. To be completely honest with you, dear readers, I also felt safe delving into this topic while abroad, since I was judged by foreigners, who would only care whether my research was conducted well from a canonical perspective.

Why share this with you?

My gut feeling tells me there is a lot of misinformation out there about what really happened. There is also a lack of education about the subject. I will not be taking sides, and to ensure minimal bias, I constantly have my work checked by colleagues and friends who are not Maltese, but who are Catholic experts from all over the world. I sense an unhealed wound. I would be dreaming too big if I said I want to heal it through my doctoral research (even though that is really what I hope for), but I want to, at least, provide the necessary tools and “medication”, so to speak, to begin the healing process. I embarked on this journey two years ago, and in September 2026 I will begin my 3^rd year. At this point in my doctoral studies, I feel slightly more confident as my thesis starts to take shape, and I want all those interested to learn more and join me on my journey by reading my work, reading my thoughts, sharing them, and emailing me with feedback and documents that can contribute to this healing.

What have I discovered so far?

Two years in, I have been dealing with the history of the interdict (as well as excommunication) up until the early 1900s. Its origin is uncertain, as historians debate whether it’s the 9^th, 11^th, or 13^th century. What is definitive is that the more historians dig into original documents, the more they find, which is great for clarity’s sake. Some interesting facts I can tell you about the penalty of the interdict are the following:

• The Latin term for “interdict” is interdictum
• The term originates from the Roman Empire, but it had nothing to do with the interdict as we understand it in Malta, since it did not have religious significance at the time.
• Bishops and other local ordinaries (e.g. religious superiors) started using the interdict without it yet being established as (canon) law.
• Popes made reforms and ‘updates’ to church law in response to local practices in the dioceses, so the interdict penalty took a rather bottom-up trajectory.
• The penalty was eventually labelled as ‘interdict and separated from ‘excommunication’ and ‘suspension’ during the papacy of Innocent III (early 1200s)
• The first code of canon law of 1917 (i.e. CIC/1917) was the first code of canon law, and it defined what an interdict is
• The CIC/1917 also distinguished among five types of interdicts (though some argue for seven).
• Malta’s interdict in the 1960s was imposed while the CIC/1917 was in force.
• Vatican Council II was taking place in the 1960s, while the interdict in Malta was imposed.
• After Vatican Council II, a new code of canon law came into force in 1983 (i.e. CIC/1983), which reflects the ecclesiology of Vatican Council II
• The interdict was listed again as a penalty in the CIC/1983, but the number of types was reduced.
• Pope Francis changed this section of the code in 2021 with Pascite Gregem Dei, and the interdict also remains part of canon law after this update.
• However, the penalty of the interdict changed over time, particularly in how it was handled and perceived.

I truly hope you found this blog post useful. I plan to continue posting about this topic. If you have any questions, comments, or materials that could help with my research, feel free to share them with me. I promise confidentiality, as the subject can be quite sensitive to many lives even sixty years later.