God forbid the choice of the judiciary is a political statement Archbishop Scicluna

Members of the judiciary must be independent from all forms of politics, Archbishop Scicluna said yesterday morning while celebrating Mass at St John’s CoCathedral in Valletta on the occasion of the new forensic year.

“This independence must be external and internal,” he said, “and should come from the people appointing members of the judiciary as well as from the judges and magistrates themselves when deciding cases.”

He quoted an important speech which Pope Francis addressed to Italian magistrates last February. “Justice is not a robe one takes off at the end of the day, but something one carries everywhere. It is like your skin – you have to take it everywhere with you.”

Members of the judiciary must also see that, apart from doing justice, they must take into consideration the fragility of the people they have before them, and see that they cause no further harm or trauma to the victims of crime, he said.

He continued that in a world where the interests of the individual are taking precedence over the interests of the community, judges and magistrates must show true signs of independence and no favouritism. “God forbid the choice of the judiciary is a political statement,” he said, “as this would kill the judiciary’s independence.”

He said the personal independence of the judiciary would free them from any form of pressure that could be placed on them in an attempt to influence decisions.

He said that, in their judgments, judges and magistrates must have compassion, and not be swayed by race, culture, sex and religion. Justice must also be inclusive and take into account the offender’s circumstances, which may be the cause of that person’s fragility, he said.

Archbishop Scicluna underscored the importance of the Italian language within the justice system, saying that it is vital that law students have a good grasp of Italian as this is vital for their studies.