Editorial

Notwithstanding the sad stories that are often heard and experiences encountered, it can still be said that marriage is a strong institution in Malta. Confirmation came recently in a study by the University of York on the well-being of children in Europe and in which Malta was found to have the lowest number of single-parent and step families.

Yet, of course, it's not all a bed of roses. Separation decisions in the civil court number about 500 a year and there were 150 annulment cases decided last year. This year there have already been about 120 annulment applications.

That's just the official picture. How many married couples are living separate lives without having passed through the wringer of such proceedings? As sticking together is by no means the measure of a successful marriage, how many spouses are abused, how many stray, how many are living a lie?

These are the type of questions that would need answering before a more accurate picture of the health of marriage and the family in Malta can be drawn. For whereas the marriages that work are indeed strong, there are others that need a lot of work to be saved.

They are questions which the Cana Movement, through its Observatory Of The Family, to be set up under Cana's new director Fr Joseph Mizzi, may have in mind to research. Fr Mizzi's vision is for the observatory to conduct studies, interpret data, publish articles, organise fora and generally engage society, from policy-makers to the grassroots, in a dialogue designed ultimately to strengthen the family. It's a brilliant initiative, one that could reap very positive results.

It may be a little presumptuous to suggest lines of inquiry to an institution so highly experienced in promoting sound families and helping couples deal with difficult marriages. Fr Mizzi indicated plenty in a recent interview. Others, however, cannot but spring to mind. Why, for example, is the birth rate in Malta in such steep decline and can it be reversed? Can the values, attitudes and skills that make for lasting relationships and good parenting be taught more effectively to the young?

There are also a couple of pitfalls the proposed observatory may need to look out for in its mission to study family issues deeply and generate a meaningful, far-reaching discussion about them. First, it must not shy away from asking questions whose nature may jar with the Church's teachings on certain matters. Just two examples: Under what circumstances, apart from the obvious abuse, might it be better for children to live with only one parent? How can separating couples, having made their decision, make the transition less traumatic both for the children and for themselves?

A second, associated pitfall lies in the way the observatory chooses to communicate. It may need to avoid the language of dogma in the spirit of the open dialogue suggested by Fr Mizzi and in order to reach out to the many who have eschewed religious principles in the way they view marriage.

The observatory would need to look inward too, as it must already do - the very initiative is testament to that. Are Cana's marriage preparation courses effective enough? Are its messages reaching those who most need to hear them? How can it compete better with media portrayals of marriage, which tend to pull in the opposite direction?

The observatory is a most praiseworthy initiative and needs to be well supported, both morally and financially. If strong families strengthen society, it will be performing an invaluable service for the country.