On 21 January 1956, Malta’s path toward political integration with the United Kingdom entered one of its most divisive moments. On that day, Archbishop Michael Gonzi and the Bishop of Gozo, Giuseppe Pace, issued a joint Pastoral Letter warning of the risks that integration posed to the Catholic Church’s position in Maltese society. At stake was not only Malta’s constitutional future, but the question of who would hold authority over the island’s social order. The integration