Last Sunday – June 1 - Archbishop Cremona wrote to the Malta Today to answer its editorial of May 18, 2008 (‘A wake-up call’). I do not remember any previous occasion when an Archbishop of Malta wrote in to a newspaper in direct response to anything published therein

This is a first in the relationship between bishop and media and, consequently, it is worthy of note. Last Sunday’s letter by Archbishop Cremona was not just a first on the level of format it was also a first on the level of content.

Crusades are a thing of the past.

The Archbishop outlined his vision of the relationship that the Church and State ought to have. He had already done so, in a number of interviews, before his installation basing himself on Pope Benedict’s encyclical “God is Love”.

This position opens, in my opinion, a new stage in the relationship between the church and our pluralistic society.

The following are just two of his quotations from “God is Love” and they provide a clear indication of what I mean:

“[The Church’s social doctrine is meant] to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgement of what is just… The Church cannot and must not take upon itself the political battle to bring about the most just society. She cannot and must not replace the state” (n. 28).

“… The formation of just structures is not directly the duty of the Church… it has an indirect duty… the purification of reason and the reawakening of moral force. The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society, on the other hand, is proper to the lay faithful… to take part in a personal capacity” (n.29).

Knights in sheep's armour

From my experience with several sectors of the Church in Malta I can tell you that the openness of this Archbishop's vision is in sharp contrast with the attitude of many, within his flock, for whom the crusade and siege mentality are still the order of the day. One augurs that the open vision of the Shepherd will eventually filter through and change the opaque vision of some of the rest.

From satanistic to statistic

Archbishop Cremona wrote about emotion-stirring subjects like marriage, the family, divorce and cohabitation without becoming emotional.

In his whole article he never suggested, as some feel they can do to help their case along, that anything contrary to what they are saying is evidence of a devil serving attitude.

Neither did he quote the Gospels or the teachings of the Church about these subjects. (He will undoubtedly do that during ecclesial functions.) Had he done so he would not have been outside his natural waters. On the contrary, as the leader of the Church in Malta his competence and authority on the subject are unquestioned. He preferred, however, to use arguments available both to believers and to non-believers such that a true dialogue, rather than a perceived talking down exercise, could be attempted with readers. That’s why he quoted statistics and experiences from other countries as well as Malta.

Here his competence is based on reasoning and logic not on authority. Someone else, it could be argued, can have different statistics and interpretations. Here I state, and with a studied desire to avoid sycophancy, that although is not totally unprecedented, it is very rare in Malta for the Church to participate in a social discussion as an equal participant. Not from the pulpit, not threatening fire and brimstone not even saying 'I know best'. Within this tradition Mgr Cremona's letter to the press never sought to inhibit the exchange, but to open it wide. He is proposing, not imposing. Such an attitude shows a leader who is confident of the strength of the arguments buttressing his position and a leader that respects those who have a different one.

Divorce law, Catholic supporter?

In my opinion, Archbishop Cremona's position is important because it would not demonise or condemn those within the Catholic community, who, basing themselves on the same or different statistics and facts, would reach a conclusion about the legalization of divorce and/or cohabitation that is different than the one generally reached by the majority of Catholics in Malta.

An important difference must be emphasized. Catholics are against divorce. Christ’s position is loud and clear. The question here is a different though difficult one. It is about the position taken by Catholics in the political and legal arena.

Archbishop Cremona rightly notes the responsibility of the individual Christian “to contribute in the political and social sphere, obviously in a way that is a logical consequence of his beliefs, otherwise he would be living in a dichotomy between his beliefs and his political stance.”

But one could argue that it could be legitimate for the individual Christian, after analyzing facts and statistics, to arrive at the conclusion that in the situation prevailing in a particular point in time in Malta measures should be taken to recognize rights emanating from co-habitation or to legalize, in some form, divorce. Such a position can only be taken after all steps have been done to strengthen marriage and the family in Malta. Strong families and stable marriages are the best option, divorce – at best – can be a necessary unpleasant fact of life (not to say “necessary evil”).

Get the facts right

Quite naturally, both camps should all get the facts right to make their participation in the divorce debate more meaningful.

Indeed, the Archbishop pointed to conflicting official statistics about the situation in our country and rightly says that “there is definitely a need to have a more accurate picture of the situation” in Malta.

He hastens to add however, that “for separated persons and their families, marriage breakdown is a tragedy and not just a number in a table of statistics.” The Church should show its belief in this statement by strengthening its myriad positive measures in this direction and setting right areas of weakness in this sector. For hallowed years the Ecclesiastical Tribunal has been the subject of debates, studies, discussions etc. Progress is still very slow and many are still unnecessarily suffering because of excessive delays. Will the Archbishop manage to bell the cat and reform the Ecclesiastical Tribunal?

Discourse not 'This way'

Archbishop Cremona made his points in a strong manner but always in an atmosphere of dialogue. “I hope that the majority – for or against divorce – hold their position and campaign for it because they feel it is the right thing for society and not because of some kind of blackmail.”

This statement shows respect towards those who are in favour of legalizing divorce provided they are there because they believe that granting an individual the possibility to divorce “is the right thing for society”. From context the kind of blackmail that he refers to is the possible pressure of what is called “Europe”. This is an unfortunate and non-specific reference. Is this Europe referring to the Council of Europe and its court in Strasbourg or to the European Union or to both or to the cultural milieu prevailing on the Continent? Many in Malta do not have a clear idea of the difference between the CoE and the EU.

The Archbishop appropriately argues: let us not prejudice the issue. For the debate to be really fruitful and sincere, each side should be open to the other one and to the different possible outcomes that it can indicate as being “the right thing for society”.

Archbishop Cremona writes:

“We cannot give the impression that that discussion has taken place only in those countries where divorce has been legalised. Sincere and open-minded discussion could lead also to the population’s conviction that only the strengthening of marriage is a solution. And even this is a positive political decision. It is unjust to present it just as a negative decision!”

It is not right to arrive at the a priori position that the “no” to the legalization of divorce is a negative position.

Let us dialogue and discuss the family, divorce, marriage, and co-habitation - but let us do so in a spirit of calm, guided by the true indicators of the situation of the family in Malta. Let us do so with brotherly love towards all. Catholics and non-catholics against divorce. Catholics and non-catholics in favour of divorce as a legal option.

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