[https://lovinmalta.com/news/poignant-and-touching-tribute-to-murdered-lassana-cisse-unveiled-in-gozitan-church/](https://lovinmalta.com/news/poignant-and-touching-tribute-to-murdered-lassana-cisse-unveiled-in-gozitan-church/)

I really wished to reply to comments to this article on Facebook, but I always hold back since Facebook is too public and not anonymous. I don’t want the people who know me to see my argument with some bigoted idiot online.

It’s sad that so many Maltese’s first reaction would be,”What about that Maltese person who got killed because bla bla bla..” or “Why are we putting foreigners on a pedestal?”.

Not everyone who died tragically will have their portrait permanently displayed in a church. Ideally, make a choice that would send a very much needed message. Choose Lassana Cisse or Miriam Pace, for example. Doesn’t matter where they’re from or what the colour of their skin is, as long as you send a message. There’s so much wrong with society, might as well tackle a serious problem that is widespread issue. Make it clear that you’re against certain prejudice, belief, violence, greed, or negligence that is causing death and suffering. Tackle a widespread problem.

And if you don’t? That’s also okay! It’s not like we knew that adding new paintings to a church is even an option. Speaking for myself, I thought that these old churches can only go through restorative projects and no projects that would see new faces to its art, let alone faces that don’t belong to saints or biblical figures. What right do I even have to complain if they add a new face that sends a positive message, just not my favourite positive message?

Veganism is the movement I’m most passionate about, but I don’t go to anti-corruption protests and complain because the protestors don’t dedicate all that time and energy on veganism, instead. No, I’m happy to see people standing for a good cause.

Anti-racism is a very good cause, especially in a country where two young men murdered a black man out of hate for the colour of his skin and they have a shocking chunk of the population downplaying what they did or even agreeing with them!

Well done to the church and well done to the artist for such a beautiful painting, with a beautiful, yet sad message. We should be proud that our country did something like this!

8 comments

  1. I don’t see anything wrong with the painting. Churches should strive to be more contemporary if anything.

  2. „Why are we putting foreigners on a pedestal“
    That’s a very Christian message to send isn’t it, really embodies Christian values 🙄

  3. I’m glad the church is saying something. That said, big fat LOL at the church being drawn as some sort of hero and saviour as the rest of society looks at their phone.

  4. I don’t know anything about this Lassana Cisse, but he does not deserve to be a painting in a church for simply being a victim. Once again the sick adoration of victims in today’s culture has reached even the hallowed walls of Churches.

    This is another form of the bending-the-knee phenomenon. In Malta it’s taking the form of worshipping immigrants, usually of African origin, for simply being immigrants or black.

  5. Can you imagine our “Christians” celebrating an event of migrants being shoo’d away 2000 years ago and having to give birth in a cave, while angry that a murdered immigrant is displayed in the church that stands for love and tolerance? Paradox much?

  7. the same maltese victims that were ridiculded for being “pufti u qhab” (a derogatory term for homosexuals/trans and prostitute) and how they deserved it for going out/working with foreigners.

    I would spit in the “patriots” faces, if any of them where my relatives. hypocrites

  8. I was reading comments on the television Malta Facebook page. It’s gross.

    One person said:

    “There’s a way to depict religious art for churches and consecrated buildings. This is not it.

    Was the artist a practicing Catholic who understands church tradition?”

    Do they realise that Michelangelo, Raphael, as well as other artists at the time were known for being gay? Which is against the Catholic church? God knows how many orgies they had with the priests of the church to get commissions for frescoes.

    We seriously should teach art history to everyone on this island.

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