The bishops are sending their clearest message to date to “Catholic citizens” on divorce in today’s pastoral letter and warned that the teachings of Jesus Christ “leave no doubt that divorce is the wrong solution”.

With just six days to go before the country votes on whether to introduce divorce legislation, the bishops are ensuring that no Catholic is left in any doubt that voting in favour of divorce will lead to destruction.

“By his vote, the citizen will either build or destroy. A choice in favour of permanent marriage is an act of faith in the family, built upon a bond of love which cannot be severed,” the bishops said.

“But a choice in favour of divorce leads to the further destruction of marriage and the family and, as a consequence, the destruction of values and the quality of life. We all shoulder responsibility for the consequences of our decision.”

The pastoral letter by Archbishop Paul Cremona, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech and Auxiliary Bishop Annetto Depasquale focuses on “opting in favour of permanent marriage” ahead of Saturday’s divorcereferendum.

The letter says that for Christians there is no other road which leads to God and everyone has to choose Jesus as the truth. It echoes Mgr Grech’s homily last weekend in which he urged adults not to make a mistake because there was only one door they could enter.

Through the referendum, the bishops said, citizens were being called upon to express their convictions to consolidate the future of marriage and the family.

They said: “This call should not fall on deaf ears. We cannot remain indifferent. The referendum deals with a very important matter and any person who may decide not to participate will show a lack of civil and religious maturity.”

Jesus, they said, taught that marriage, which went hand in hand with mankind’s dignity, should by its very nature be a permanent bond. When marriage failed, wounds opened that took a long time to heal. The experiences of separated couples showed how saddened they were when their marriage failed.

“We all know of people who are wounded because their marriages have failed. As your spiritual shepherds, we can assure you that we feel these cries within our hearts... These people, who are wounded and hurt, show us that as a nation we should continue to cherish true marriage,” the bishops said.

“As a gesture of love towards those who are suffering, and towards future generations, we must together try to improve the conditions of marriage and the family so these hurts may be diminished.”

A society which builds on the foundation of a stable marriage, they said, meant there would be fewer people who suffered in future.

In light of all this, it was every citizen’s moral obligation to express his opinion through his vote; this obligation became greater when the decision involved values, such as the permanence of marriage.

Faced with this referendum, they said, Christians could not avoid posing some fundamental questions they had to take into consideration when making important decisions.

“The Christian must always act with reference to our Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings. In taking his decision on how to vote, he must bear in mind he shall be accountable to Jesus for his choice.”