Adds full text of the position paper:

A group of high profile priests have issued a common position on divorce, insisting that any decision on the matter should be taken according to the individual’s own conscience.

The group includes Fr Joe Borg, Fr Peter Serracino Inglott and the Church’s Pro-Vicar, Mgr Anton Gouder, who only two months ago was embroiled in controversy after linking divorce with sin.

The common position does not endorse divorce. However, the priests argue the importance that individuals form their conscience in the light of Church teachings and the common good before deciding on divorce according to conscience.

The paper is a personal initiative of the priests even though some of them occupy prominent roles within the Church hierarchy.

According to sources, the position paper has the tacit approval of the Archbishop who had mentioned the initiative during a meeting of the Diocesan Assembly.

The priests started working on the initiative before the most recent controversy sparked by the Church’s Judicial Vicar, Mgr Arthur Said Pullicino, who threatened judges presiding over divorce cases and anybody who helped introduce divorce with grave sin.

Mgr Said Pullicino’s words were interpreted by various members of the clergy as a challenge to the Curia’s official position as dictated by the bishops in a pastoral letter issued in August, who avoided the use of the word sin.

In a two-and-a-half-page letter, the bishops had asked for everybody to contribute to the divorce debate and not distort Christ’s love by embarking on some kind of crusade.

The pastoral letter was the Church’s most detailed opinion on divorce and it came in the wake of statements by Mgr Gouder who had said anybody voting for divorce was committing a sin.

FULL TEXT OF THE POSITION PAPER

 

Declaration about Conscience and Divorce

We, the undersigned, have all written about the introduction of divorce in Malta. Sometimes, we may have seemed to contradict each other. So we decided to meet and clarify together our ideas on conscience and divorce and on what stand Christians could take regarding the proposed legislation favouring the introduction of divorce.

We all agreed on the following points:

1. All citizens, Catholic or not, if asked to give their judgement whether they wish or not the introduction of such a law in favour of divorce have the right and duty to follow their own conscience which needs, however, to be well informed and well formed, keeping in mind the common good.

2. Catholics should strive to have a Christian outlook on the family and on marriage and, according to the teaching of Christ and the Church, witness to this in all circumstances and to strive to see it practised in all structures of society.

3. Both as citizens as well as Catholics they should work hard so that in their country there should be stable and lasting marriages, strong families bound by love and fidelity because this is of great benefit to society at large.

4. For us, Catholics, divorce is wrong whether it is permitted by civil law or not.

5. The decision of every Catholic concerning legislation in favour of divorce in order for it to be a good and responsible decision must be reached with a formed conscience and enlightened by the teaching of Christ who is "the Way, the Truth and the Life."

6. The Catholic, who not caring about having an informed and formed conscience, decides to follow one's whim, without seriously paying attention to the teaching of God's Word and of the Church, but only follows one's feelings, one's own thoughts or personal advantage, if not also one's prejudices, should realise that one is not doing one's duty as a Catholic. One is responsible for such action before God and may possibly be sinning

7. In order that as Catholics we reach a good moral judgement whether we want or do not want the introduction of divorce law we must in a responsible manner form our conscience and then decide according to this conscience.

Therefore, after trying seriously to form one's conscience according to God's Word and the teaching of the Church and trying sincerely to discover the whole truth and what really leads to the common good, a Catholic:

a) may either reach a right decision or may also in all sincerity reach a decision which, in itself, is mistaken. But whatever the case, one is always obliged to follow and decide according to one's conscience,

b) may still, in spite of having all the necessary knowledge and having done everything to find the whole truth, in conscience not see why to vote against legislation favouring divorce. This one too has the right and the duty to follow what one's conscience tells one.

c) may also see that in this matter one is faced by the choice between two situations which both in themselves are harmful to the common good. It is legitimate, in this case of conflict, for one to choose the lesser evil after prayer, reflection and sincere search for the whole truth.

8. This declaration should calm all those who are worried that among us there might be differences regarding the teaching of the Church. This declaration is meant to throw light on the moral responsibility of every Maltese regarding their conscience and regarding the common good of society when they have to take a position about a possible proposal to legalise divorce in our country.

Rev Prof Emmanuel Agius, Dean of the Faculty of Theology.

Fr Joe Borg.

Fr Charlo' Camilleri, O.Carm. Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology.

Mons Anton Gouder, Pro Vicar General.

Fr Alfred Micallef s.j.

Fr Joe Mizzi, Director of the Cana Movement.

Rev Prof Peter Serracino Inglott

See blog by Fr Borg

www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101013/blogs/a-common-position-on-conscience-and-divorce.331055