Christian community cannot be marginalised from public debate - Gozo Bishop

Of course the church should have part in the public debate. It would be wrong should it not participate.

If the Catholic Church cannot be neutralised and eliminated from the political debate and like other schools of philosophy, it has the right to take part in such public argumentation, it does not have the right to impose its teachings on others who do not do not eve beleive in it.
Nor does it have the right on those who used to beleive in it and now do not any more.

The 'indissolubility of marriage' is an item of catholic faith, based on one interpretation of the bible; objectively, a collection of texts of dubious origin written roughly two millennia ago by people whose ideas and civilisation we nowadays refer to as 'ancient'.

Of course the Church can voice its opinion as much as it wants to, without reservations, and can bring forth whichever argument it likes that helps it to justify its stand in the eyes of the public. But the church knows, and we all know, that its ultimate aim (not necessarily its sole one) is see that the 'word of god'- or rather the catholic version of it - is upheld by society. And, in the case of divorce, no amount of talk about 'promoting the family', 'safeguarding the fabric of society' and similar 'secular' discourse will divert attention from the central fact that the church is anti-divorce because it sees divorce as a sin. The same applies for many other issues.

Dear Monsignor, I think its time for (yet another) re-interpretation of the bible, if the maltese catholic church wants to survive the 21st century.

I don't think that the church should interfere in legislative matters. Faith is a private matter and shouldn't influence the law whatsoever. Everyone I'm sure is aware of the position it takes on certain issues that us as Maltese and Europeans have no right to (ie. Divorce) and their input would only make the process of acheiving it slower.
To the people who are against divorce i would like to say how lucky they are that it is not an issue to their lives but please leave religion out of it and (as Christians should do), think of us people who did not have the good fortune to marry someone who remained faithful and did not abuse them!

The church is now obsolete and in a few years more it will be just history. The time where they can dictate is over and done and that time will never come again because people had opened their minds to the reality that the Church is just another business.

I do not think that there is a threat of the Church being marginalised from debate. I believe that this is more a reaction to Joseph Muscat's, John Dalli's and Larence Gonzi's recent declarations that there are certain things in this country that need to be discussed and legislated upon, and that what worries him more is the fact that the Church's stranglehold on all matters of an ethical/moral nature is slowly easing and will eventually vanish.

I agree with Bishop Grech that the Church should not be marginalised from public debate and that the Church can contribute on certain arguments. However, the sooner it realises the reality that its contributions are just as valid as anybody else's and that it is no longer in a position to dictate, the better