Archbishop Paul Cremona yesterday said the Church had to spread its message against divorce not only on the basis of the teachings of the Bible but also on the basis of facts in everyday life.
Speaking to representatives of Proġett Impenn - which groups together the Diocesan Family Commission, Caritas Malta and the Cana Movement - Mgr Cremona said the Church could never accept divorce because God's spiritual authority to unite people in marriage could not be transferred to man to dissolve.
Proġett Impenn presented the Archbishop with a report entitled For Worse, Not For Better, published in reply to a think tank member's report arguing for the introduction of divorce in the interest of those who want to remarry.
"We should show facts to society so all the members of society may then draw its own conclusions," said the Archbishop.
He said the message of Proġett Impenn was clear and stressed the country would not have stable families and marriages unless the State, the Church and other entities worked for this purpose in every way.
He said once the State had declared that stable marriages and strong families were beneficial for society, married couples deserved assistance because of the contribution they gave for the well-being of society.
The Sunday Times has just carried an interview with Cana founder Mgr Charles Vella who said that, although divorce from a Catholic viewpoint was considered a menace to the stability of marriage, it did not mean it was going to wreck marriages.
Mgr Vella yesterday told The Times that politicians from the Nationalist and Labour parties were among those who had contacted him to thank him for speaking so frankly on the issue.
"A very well-known person from the government's side called me at 8 a.m. (on Sunday) and said thank you," the 81-year-old priest said when contacted, although he stopped short of giving names.
He said he was constantly stopped in the streets on Sunday, with people telling him about their cases.
Among them was a man who had been suffering from a marriage breakdown for some 25 years and as a consequence had not been to church for two decades. "The lost sheep are very important," he said.
Asked why he had decided to speak out, Mgr Vella said he wanted to give people "courage, mercy and hope" while never withdrawing from the teachings of the Church.
"I spoke through my knowledge of the Church's doctrine and also through my heart and my conscience, while remembering that as a priest I follow Jesus Christ, who is for me the way and the truth.
"I wanted to create a dialogue about the issue and I am very glad this is happening," he said, adding dialogue had to continue.
Although the institution of marriage was "in crisis", Mgr Vella said the family was still strong and it was imperative for both the State and the Church to do as much as possible to help couples.
Mgr Vella had also voiced his opinion that the Church should invest more in the Cana Movement, which helped prepare couples for marriage. Whereas it used to employ 30 people before, now it employed 16.
Asked for his reaction yesterday, Cana Movement director Joe Mizzi said more manpower was always needed, especially since the movement operated with volunteers.
The movement was in favour of a strong marriage between a man and woman which lasted forever and therefore its position was that divorce was damaging for the family.
"Wherever divorce was introduced, the number of marriages went down, while cohabitation and divorce increased. Divorce generates more suffering for both the couples and children," he said.
Studies also shows that wherever divorce was introduced rates shot up, he added.
When it was pointed out that divorce numbers would obviously increase when legislation was introduced, since before couples could not go for divorce, Fr Mizzi said there were consequences to divorce which were very harmful.
"Our proposal is to learn from other countries' mistakes and go for strengthening our marriages," he said, adding the movement would continue working and investing in marriage preparation.