Peter Paul Borg
Encyclopedia
Peter Paul Borg was a Maltese theologian, canonist and minor philosopher. He was mostly interested in the philosophy of law. Unfortunately, no portrait of him has been identified up till now.
’s Cathedral Chapter. He was a Doctor of Theology
and Divinity
, and a Doctor of Canon Law
. He was a member of the Società Storica e Scientifica di Malta (Historical and Scientific Society of Malta), and for a time also an Apostolic Prefect
.
Assuming his duties as a Catholic
priest in a country ruled by a Protestant colonial government, Borg had his eye set on the fine print of enacted legislation, and was particularly apt to read between the lines. Though he investigated all types of laws to detect whether they infringed upon the Catholic
priveleges and mores of the Maltese, his main concern, given the particular circumstances of his times, was reserved for the contraction of matrimony and, especially, on the problem of mixed or interfaith marriages between Catholics and Protestants. Together with the authorities of the Catholic Church, Borg harboured the suspicion that the Protestant colonial government took a laissez faire attitude towards mixed marriages in order to increase the Protestant population in the Maltese islands and thereby diminish Catholic
influence.
Borg was thus part of a defensive strategy of the Catholic Church to preserve the Catholic
heritage of the Maltese populace. Nevertheless, his protective stance went farther than this, since it was then equally important to strengthen Catholic
traditions from within. Hence Borg was also part of an underlying movement sanctioned by Church
authorities to combat and counter, possibly on philosophical grounds, any attempt to merge or compromise Catholic
doctrine when efforts were made to bring into closer relations Catholics and Protestants.
Apart of the introductions and documentary evidence at the end, the book is divided into three main parts. The first is historical and critical, the second is theoretical and analytical, and the third part is theoretical and practical.
Life
Borg was born in 1843. He became a diocesan priest, and was a Canon of the bishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
’s Cathedral Chapter. He was a Doctor of Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
, and a Doctor of Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. He was a member of the Società Storica e Scientifica di Malta (Historical and Scientific Society of Malta), and for a time also an Apostolic Prefect
Apostolic prefect
An apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese....
.
Assuming his duties as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest in a country ruled by a Protestant colonial government, Borg had his eye set on the fine print of enacted legislation, and was particularly apt to read between the lines. Though he investigated all types of laws to detect whether they infringed upon the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priveleges and mores of the Maltese, his main concern, given the particular circumstances of his times, was reserved for the contraction of matrimony and, especially, on the problem of mixed or interfaith marriages between Catholics and Protestants. Together with the authorities of the Catholic Church, Borg harboured the suspicion that the Protestant colonial government took a laissez faire attitude towards mixed marriages in order to increase the Protestant population in the Maltese islands and thereby diminish Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
influence.
Borg was thus part of a defensive strategy of the Catholic Church to preserve the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
heritage of the Maltese populace. Nevertheless, his protective stance went farther than this, since it was then equally important to strengthen Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
traditions from within. Hence Borg was also part of an underlying movement sanctioned by Church
Church
In the Christian religion, a church building is a building or structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. Originally, Jewish Christians met in synagogues, such as the Cenacle, and in one another's homes, known as house churches...
authorities to combat and counter, possibly on philosophical grounds, any attempt to merge or compromise Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
doctrine when efforts were made to bring into closer relations Catholics and Protestants.
Works
Though Borg was a somewhat prolific writer, many of his compositions are of a religious or devotional nature with no interest to philosophy. Nonetheless, some of his publications are relevant to philosophy since Borg proffers arguments from reason to justify his positions. The following, than, are worthy of note:- 1900 – La Questione Matrimoniale in Malta: Studio filosofico, canonico e politico con appendici (The Matrimonial Question in Malta: A philosophical, canonical and political study with appendixes). A 168-page book in Italian published in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(Stabilimento Tipografico Librario A.E.S. Festa, S. Biagio dei Librai). The work, which is divided into six main chapters and smaller parts, opens with an introduction, Pope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
’s letter of 1897 Catholicorum quorundam, and a preface. At the end it bears twenty-two appendixes with largely relevant documents.
- Borg traces the historical developments of matrimony in MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and comments at length from the point of views of the philosophy of law and the political philosophy. Taking Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
as the basis for his reflections, Borg’s general drift is to show the philosophical coherence of ChurchChurchIn the Christian religion, a church building is a building or structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. Originally, Jewish Christians met in synagogues, such as the Cenacle, and in one another's homes, known as house churches...
legislation with regard to matrimony.
- 1911 – Il Valore del Sillabo di Pio X (The Value of Pius X Syllabus of Errors). A 630-page book in Italian published in AcirealeAcirealeAcireale is a coastal city and commune in the north-east of the province of Catania, Sicily, Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. It is a diocese, famous for its churches, including the Neo-Gothic St. Peter's Basilica, St...
, SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(Tipografia Editr. XX Secolo), which bears the sub-title: Dilucidato e chiarito in referenza al modernismo (Explained and clarified with reference to Modernism). The main aim of Borg’s composition is, as its sub-title indicates, to combat the threat of ModernismModernism (Roman Catholicism)Modernism refers to theological opinions expressed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but with influence reaching into the 21st century, which are characterized by a break with the past. Catholic modernists form an amorphous group. The term "modernist" appears in Pope Pius X's 1907...
. Pope Pius XPope Pius XPope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
’s notorious Symbol of Errors, issued in 1907, is taken as a point of departure and basis.
Apart of the introductions and documentary evidence at the end, the book is divided into three main parts. The first is historical and critical, the second is theoretical and analytical, and the third part is theoretical and practical.
- 1924 – Un Commentario a norma del Codice di Diritto Canonico al Canone di Somma Importanza Concernante la Celebrazione del Matrimonio Cattolico (A Commentary according to the Code of Canon Law on the Canon of Great Importance concerning the Celebration of Catholic Matrimony). A 118-page book in Italian published in MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
(Tipografia del ‘Malta’, VallettaVallettaValletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
) in which Borg comments Canon 1094 of the old 1917 Code Canon LawCanon lawCanon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. The work is divided into six ‘propositions’, of which the first and fifth are the most relevant to philosophy. In the former, Borg give philosophical arguments to demonstrate how and why the essence of matrimony should be solely regulated by the Catholic Church. In the latter ‘proposition’ Borg explores the relation of matrimony to freedom.
Sources
- Mark Montebello, Il-Ktieb tal-Filosofija f’Malta (A Source Book of Philosophy in Malta), PIN Publications, Malta, 2001.
- Mark Montebello, 20th Century Philosophy in Malta, Agius & Agius, Malta, 2009.
- Mark Montebello, Malta’s Philosophy & Philosophers, PIN Publications, Malta, 2011.