I read the article Archbishop: Divorce Motion Is 'Bolt Out Of The Blue' (July 6).

While it may have slightly surprised Archbishop Paul Cremona, I don't think the motion by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando for the introduction of divorce was a "bolt out of the blue". It is just another topic which needs to be weighed, debated and voted on. What I found highly significant was buried deep, deep within that article. Mgr Cremona said that, in most cases abroad, divorce was not sought by people who were suffering but by people who wanted something else, such as "men who wanted younger women". I found that acknowledgement candidly refreshing.

It is commonplace to see an aging man who has worked his whole life to achieve some measure of success and comfort. If he already has children, he may want more. If he hasn't any children, he may finally seek fatherhood but his aging wife is either infertile or unwilling to bear children. He may wish to travel but the aging wife lacks ambition or adventure.

The male and female have different biological clocks, functions, and needs. They cannot run on identical synchronisation like two passengers arriving and departing from an airport. Sometimes, there is unity and agreement. Other times, there are glitches and snags. I definitely don't think that any marriage partner should be dumped or rejected simply due to age, diminishing physical attractiveness or loss of lustre. If they have been a good spouse, they are entitled to protection spelled-out in the marriage compact as a sacramental covenant. Having said that, I believe that a good, capable and responsible man who is mature enough and financially secure enough should be able to legally practise the Old Testament principle of polygyny: that is a special form of polygamy with one husband and several wives. A good older wife need not be discarded like an old piece of trash. As Archbishop Cremona noted, sometimes men want younger women. Notice the word "want". Those are women who are wanted. They want them included. It doesn't necessarily mean that the original spouses suddenly became unwanted. As families grew in olden times, sometimes new additions were added to the family. Those "additions" weren't always by childbirth.

Even the esteemed and wise King Solomon had 700 wives. To my knowledge, he did not experience a single divorce.

To be sure, some divorces can turn mean and bitter. Many lives have been put in turmoil and many children have been caught in the middle. Even in marriages where spouses remained together in marriage, children are often caught in the fighting. Their angst over deciding which side of parental loyalty to adhere to would exist in any circumstance: divorce or no divorce.

I wish that all marriages would be happy and harmonious. I'm not so sure that society is helped or hurt by the availability of divorce as a channel for remedying marital discord. Instead of harping about divorce, I think more effort needs to be made on what factors will keep marriages afloat. Even people who are not married have a stake in this by adding their thoughtful and courteous opinions.

Merely attacking a man for supposedly being a male chauvinist or labelling him "sexist" because he advocates traditional patriarchal concepts does not change the biological realities of male human beings. I don't support men cheating on their wives. I merely want men to be open and honest about their expectations from day one of their marriage. Many men make their vows to their bride before Almighty God in a church setting in front of many other witnesses. Yet, a good percentage of those men "stray" from the marriage.

Instead of blending everything in a fault-finders cookbook I wish people would keep their eyes wide open from the very beginning. Many people loudly shout "equal rights". Such talk is inappropriate because men and women are quite different physically, mentally and emotionally. Both sexes may have equal rights but the male and female have different outlooks, different life spans and different needs which may coincide at times, overlap or even diverge.

What do we expect from marriage? Do we consider it holy matrimony? If so, then biblical precedents will reveal the blessings which King Solomon experienced 700 times. We must remember the word: "What Almighty God has joined together, let no man put asunder." We need a bit of King Solomon's wisdom in today's era.

Let us be thoughtful and hear the viewpoints of others. I am just happy that Archbishop Cremona acknowledges that some men want younger women. That is progress. Now, if the Church could use scriptural precedent to sanctify some Old Testament principles to allow for additions to the family...