Divorce movement to take legal action against BA
The divorce movement is taking legal action agains the Broadcasting Authority for stopping it from broadcasing two messages taken from an interview which had been given by the founder of the Cana Movement in March 2010.
The movement said the authority had initially approved the spots but their broadcast was now stopped after Mgr Vella's lawyer, Robert Tufignio, who was also a member of the anti-divorce movement, requested the BA to stop Broadcasting the spots.
Mgr Vella said in a statement issued a few minutes earlier that he was informed yesterday that two spots quoting him out of context from an interview had given had been screened on PBS – before and after the news.
"I wish to affirm that I was never asked to give my written or verbal consent as I believe is stipulated by the Broadcasting Authority.
"This in my opinion is grossly unethical for it goes against my rights and is an attempt to drag me in the pro-divorce debate.
"Moreover, I did not ever give my consent to the movement proposing the introduction of divorce in Malta to make use and exploit my image and personality in its campaign in favour of the introduction of divorce in Malta."
Mgr Vella said that following his formal complaint, the BA prohibited the further airing of the spots.
He stressed that while sharing the sufferings of couples living in a difficult situation, he upheld in faith the teaching of the Church and of the bishops on the institute of marriage.
He professed his belief that marriage is an indissoluble union and that no man should put asunder what God has joined together.
"For this teaching I have dedicated the mission of my life, ever since the foundation of the Cana Movement nearly 60 years ago," he said.
22 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Mr M Borg
May 14th 2011, 09:30
The pro-divorce are really desperate. They are realising that their dishonest loaded question did not fool most of the population.
They are showing one and all that they are lost, they are trying to remove all the stops and they are achieving the opposite effects.
We had one of them saying that he knows more than God, on TV which sounds very much like blasphemy.
We had the head of the IVA saying that they cannot say the outcome of their " responsible divorce " because no study was held.
Now we have them trying to make us believe that Mgr Charles Vella ,who fights for strong marriages, who believes that marriage is indissoluble , has become part of their IVA movement !
They even had the cheeck to use him in one of their spots. Who are they kidding ?
Certainly not us. We have now got used to their kind of tricks !
They will go to all lengths to decieve people.
They never explained to women, ( this came out in yesterday's programme ) that although a wife might have supported her husband through out marriage life, sometimes even putting her career on hold, that the minute her ex remarries she will no longer be entiled to any pension when he dies.
They never told these women that they will be living in poverty and that they would have to depend on handouts.
This is only one of the hardships that divorce will bring on the population.
Mr Alistaire Gill
May 14th 2011, 23:17
Hamsin sena ilu ma kienx hawn iz-zwieg civili Malta. Il-knisja kella l-monopolju li lil min trid izzewgu fil-knisja u lil min trid izzewgu fis-sakristija.
Dahal iz-zwieg civili.
Fl-ewwel erba xhur ta' din is-sena 92 izzewgu bil-knisja filwaqt li numru akbar ta 97 izzewgu biss bic-civil.
X'iffiser dan?
Apparti telf ta' flus ghal knisja ifisser li l-influwenza tal-knisja fuq il-Maltin majnat sew.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
May 14th 2011, 09:04
I recommend everyone to watch the full video of Mgr Vella's comments. I saw it on "affari taghna" and what he said was a breath of fresh air. As a Catholic priest he has his believes and I respect that, as a human being the man has compassion, I respect that too. I sincerely hope that a lot more people follow his example. Watch the full video and make up your mind.
Mr joe briffa
May 14th 2011, 07:24
I clearly declare...that this is a small distorted nation,and the governments democracy is something new,a new way of expressing democracy,by making a refendum,on a law that should have been granted years ago in the parliament....this is not amatter of being for or against but it should be there,I cannot decide what you do with your private life,whether marraige,or relationship,and i certainly do accept anybody to decide for me...bye bye PN..you are loosing many by this refendum...
Mr Saliba Francis
May 14th 2011, 06:35
@ the esteemed members of the divorce movement.
Please show some respect foryour prey Mgr. Charles Vella, for the TV viewers of your propaganda and, most important of all, for yourselves. The voting public will remember when it comes to cast its vote in the forthcoming referendum.
Ramon Casha
May 14th 2011, 00:07
The comments given by Mgr. Vella were made publicly during an interview. The legal rights to the program are held by the producers and the station which transmitted them, and they authorised the retransmission.
I applaud John Bundy and his team for airing the entire interview again, to ensure that all comments are shown in context.
Ms Kristina Cassar
May 14th 2011, 00:06
Mela l-ewwel akkuzaw lil tal-anti li qed iddahlu il-Knisja imbaghad dahluha huma stess!!! BASTA!
Igri jghaddi dar-referendum ghax qazzizna pajjiz.
Mr Saliba Francis
May 13th 2011, 23:04
Is the divorce movement so badly in need of propaganda material that it has to sink so low as to insist perversely on making deceptive use of extensively edited fragments taken out of context from an interview by Mgr. Charles Vella and so misleading that the Monsignor himself feels constarined to protest that the propaganda item, as manipulated conveys a meaning that he never intended and that he does not support.?
Apart from being counter-productive such an attitude shows utter disrespect not only to the Monsignor himself but also to the intelligence of the TV audience!.
Mr K.M Edwards
May 13th 2011, 21:34
The pro-divorce movement is clearly getting desperate!
Mr Emanuel Curmi
May 14th 2011, 09:02
When you have the state, which has clearly taken a position against divorce -and controls the media in Malta despite claims to the contrary - together with the church, which is clearly financing the anti divorce lobby and reawaking the mortal sin ploy of the sixties, it is like battling windmills.
I was expecting an educated debate of the pro and contras of divorce, instead of this mud slinging and covert campaign, the consequences of which will still be hanging over the state long after the issue is over.
Let's be honest, when the curia mobilizes it's frontliners out there it is a formidable hurdle and yet the need to give the victims of a failed marriage a second chance is not something to turn a blind eye to.
Ms Rudi Mcbeal
May 13th 2011, 19:29
My oh my! Here we go again.
Philip Hili
May 13th 2011, 19:28
Irid ikollok veru wicc ta' ma nafx xix ta' biex tipprova tinqeda b-intervent malizzjuz li sar lill-Fundatur tal-Moviment ta' Cana Mgr. Charles Vella u xxandur barra l-kuntest tieghu halli minn ghalik tigbed is-simpatija!!
Imma dawn jahsbu li l-poplu imbecilli?
Komplu ghazqu izjed milli qeghdin taghzaq.
Mr Kevin Cassar
May 13th 2011, 23:54
U li tikkwota lil Kristu barra mill-kuntest OVVJU tieghu kollox sew hux??? Le, ghandek ragun, il poplu mhux imbecilli.
Mr john vella
May 14th 2011, 08:10
A friend of mine told me this whole vindication that we the people are paying for, started as a vendetta because one of the group of four, known as very emotional was not invited to an important Church gathering because he is living with a PARTNER.
Yes Sir, the truth will come out!
Mr john vella
May 13th 2011, 19:00
So this week,
First, we had a Pro-Divorce representative claiming on PBS he did better than our Lord Jesus Christ when he gave the impression saying: His way is better than that of Jesus.
Second: Another Pro-Divorce representative claim that on this proposed motion for a new law she has no record to back this proposal.
Third, Now the group of four want to quote Mgr. Vella "out of Context". I do not see why Mgr. Vella should not be quoted, by the Pro-Divorce team, after all it is referred Mgr. Vella said: "He professed the belief that marriage is indissoluble union and that no man should put asunder, what God has joined together".
Talking of the ebb-tide these group dug itself in one week, no wonder they are going for broke, to try for the sublime. The more the time get closer the truth behind it all keep coming out!
Mr Aleander Balzan
May 13th 2011, 18:30
Nemmen li ma jnehhi xejn minn dak li qal. Kulhadd jiggudika ghalih innifsu.
http://www.youtube.com/user/IVADivorce#p/u/0/YNHWMUvaTUs
http://www.youtube.com/user/IVADivorce#p/u/1/W0gUKSVpDy0
Mr Emanuel Portelli
May 13th 2011, 19:35
Jien rajthu il-message fuq Youtube.....u vera tani d-dahk!
Pastazata papali kif jafu jaghmlu kerti Maltin.....
Il video maqtuh u editjat, b'mod infantili, barra min hekk gew uzati biss partijiet zghar li meta wiehed jaqqadhom flimkien jinstemaw ezatt il kontra ta dak li ried iffisser Mgr Vella........
Biex tiggudika dak li qal Mgr Vella, trid tisma l'intervista kollha....... mhux bicciet l'hawn u l'hemm!!!!
Imma meta sa nimmaturaw f'dan il-pajjiz?
Mr Aleander Balzan
May 14th 2011, 08:48
Kont smajta shiha fuq Bla Agenda inzertajt.
Nassigurak li kieku dehret shiha l-argumenti li dehru f'dan il-filmat jissahhu setghu, bhal meta qal li hafna zwigijiet huma nulli mill-bidu.
Nittama li xi hadd ghandu access biex jitfa' l-intervista kollha fuq YouTube. Nerga' nghid, jekk isir hekk l-argumenti tal-IVA jissahhu jistghu.
Fil-fatt ikun ghaqli jekk l-avukat tal-Monsinjur jibghat l-intervista shiha lill-mezzi tax-xandir kollha.
Philip Hili
May 13th 2011, 18:11
Sir,
Il-vapur ser jghereq, mhux ahjar naqbdu ma' kull tibna li nsibu?!!!!!!
Mr Saviour falzon
May 13th 2011, 18:10
Proset dr.Deborah schembri.
naf min jien li ilu snin irabbi tfal , huwa separat/legalment u mhux f'relazzjoni . Imma xorta ser jivvota IVA ghad Divorzju,
mhux sabiex jizzzewweg izda sabiex jigi HIELES mili ghall-isfortuna jibqa jidher mizewweg ghal Ligi.
Il-helsien ma hawnx aqwa minnu.
Banning Umbrellas does not stop rain
Banning Divorce does not stop marital breakdown
Take away our hearts of stone, and give us a heart of flesh.
A Yes Vote to implement a caring, concerned and compassionate response to marital breakdowns.
I hope that you will make every effect to give a resounding YES on the 28th of May to civil rights, compassion,generosity and courageous concern
Mr K.M Edwards
May 13th 2011, 21:41
There will be nothing couragious about voting YES for legalized divorce. Please. Walking into a booth to vote is courageous perhaps in Afghanistan where you are likely to get blown up doing so, but not really so in Malta.
Secondly, what is courageous about voting to create the legal and emotional climate in which children become the leading demographic of a growing poverty cycle?
ANd moreover, voting YES simply to having the state congralulate people on leaving their spouses to live with someone else where the state has no vested interest in doing so.
No sir, Mr. Falzon, the true courage is in telling things the way they truly are:
Legalized divorce is a crime against God, against state and against marriage, and its victims are children, the dependent elderly, and the hearts of Maltese spouses who make a commitment for life expecting that their partners mean to keep their end of the bargain.
May Malta vote with a resounding NO to the champions of laissez faire paramourism and the abandonment of responsibilities, which in itself will be the only vote in favor of true civil rights, compassion, generosity and courageous concern.
Ms Mary Attard
May 14th 2011, 07:01
@Mr K.M. Edwards
You are absolutely right. Courage is standing for what is right, no matter what. Broken families need healing, not encouragement to break even more of them. Destruction of family and faith leaves a people defenceless against what is coming. Divorce is one of the scourges of today's sorry world. You have a choice to reject it.