The Church will not be centralising its contribution to the divorce debate but its members are being left free to take part in the discussion with all the means at their disposal, according to a spokesman.

“The teaching on the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong commitment is an important aspect of the Church’s mission to evangelise. This is not bound to a particular time or circumstance but is proclaimed all the time and in different forms,” a Curia spokesman told The Times.

Sources said the bishops have discussed how to proceed following the recent initiative taken by the Żebbuġ parish to set up a billboard saying: “Divorce: God doesn’t want it.”

Initially the Curia had reacted to the initiative by saying it was not asked for its blessing so “the responsibility falls totally on the parish”.

Asked if the Church had taken any decisions as to how they would deal with such individual projects, the Church spokesman said: “As everyone knows, divorce goes diametrically in opposition to its teachings, and the Church will continue to contribute in the discussion with various means at her disposal. There exists no directive to have all initiatives centralised.”

When asked for clarification, the spokesman confirmed that parish priests were free to contribute in any way they deemed fit.

“The Church is not a political party. Everyone in the Church knows our position and our mission is to evangelise, parish priests included,” he said.

The billboard was met with both support and criticism. Many online contributors had questioned whether it was the beginning of a more structured political campaign by the Church reminiscent of the past.