The morning after and life beyond

So, that’s it. Votes cast. Counting done. Result contrary to what I, for one, expected - the ayes have it. Quite amazing, really, given what had taken place. The referendum on divorce legislation, twisted into a referendum about Catholic marriage, was carried out in the foulest of terms. A civil issue was turned into a religious one, with the Bishops leading a crusade against a yes vote. The lowest point was plumbed by the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Mario Grech. In full pomp he declared that those who - like me, for instance - professed to be practising Catholics but were in the Yes lobby, were wolves in sheep’s clothing, even brigands.

Only in the sick politico-religious dispute of the 1960s did I hear such language spoken with total disregard to Christian consideration. The votes show that Mgr Grech’s thunder worked well on his island. Many clerics were alarmed by the Bishop’s statement and tone but no one came out to suggest moderation.

At least that was done implicitly by Archbishop Paul Cremona, in his Talking Point in this newspaper on Thursday. He said what he had to say in proper language without hurling insults at anyone. Even if one did not agree with all that he wrote, for instance regarding the Church not wanting a theocratic state, one was not provoked or offended by it. Irony was left to be announced right after the polling ended on Saturday. The bishops issued a pastoral statement asking for forgiveness by those who might have felt they had been trespassed against, like the bishops forgave those who had trespassed against them.

The statement would have been particularly apt if it had been issued before the voting started. It would have atoned in part for the extremities to which some clerics had gone, and would also have induced soul-searching by those on the Yes side who had been intemperate.

But no, the Bishops’ statement, sensible though it was, especially in its emphasis on the need to focus on family preparation and on families to help them work better, was strictly embargoed till after the voting had stopped. So much so that the Bishops took offence and sought redress because someone had referred to their wise words some time before voting closed.

The die is now cast. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who had led his party in a virulent No campaign in the referendum, manfully admitted defeat mid-morning yesterday. He said the private member’s Bill to introduce divorce legislation would be laid before the House of Representatives. That must have gone against the grain. The last thing Dr Gonzi wanted, one would have thought, was for divorce legislation to be enacted under his watch. That he would rather call an early election, putting the economy as the PN’s main plank.

Political calculation goes deeper than that. The PM knows that an early election would see Labour swamp the Nationalists. Rather than risk that happening, the PM can get the divorce issue out of the way now, leaving him to try to restore his party’s fortunes over the coming two years. Such calculations also allow for the possibility that Nationalist supporters who voted Yes in the referendum, and so against their party’s stand, would return to the fold in the general election.

The question is, what will the Bishops do now that the House of Representatives will be debating, and surely enacting, divorce legislation? Will they once again allow clerics to say that voting for the legislation would be a sin? As a Catholic, whatever clothing Bishop Grech feels I wear, I sincerely hope not. The Church should now put first and foremost its pastoral mission. To explain the relevance of Faith notwithstanding today’s growing godlessness. The beauty of social justice and personal restraint notwithstanding the mad rush towards consumerism.

Above all, the Church should concentrate on the family in a much better way than it has done so far. On proper preparation for marriage, taking into account today’s conditions and contradictions. On compassionate guidance through marriage to do one’s utmost to overcome difficulties which emerge between couples. To identify and address the causes of failure before they result in ruptures, separation or divorce.

Let Archbishop Paul be the Good Shepherd that he had been. Let Bishop Grech follow his example. Those who do not believe or practise are at liberty to do so. But let the Church be a mother and teacher to help more of us want God in our lives.