The Church contributed the lion’s share of funds used by the anti-divorce movement in the run-up to the referendum, with a donation of €180,000.

The figure was given yesterday in the last statement by the movement before dissolution.

Another €56,000 were donated by groups, organisations, families and individuals.

The total of €236,000 were mostly spent on the media, the movement said. Since the media were mostly pro-divorce it had to pay to convey its message while others could get it for free, it added. Money was used on newspaper advertising, billboards and mail-shots.

During the campaign, the movement had repeatedly been asked to declare the funding it was receiving from the Church but had said it would reveal this information after the referendum.

Movement leader Andrè Camilleri said it had been the movement’s duty to tell the people about the negative consequences of divorce on families and society.

Expressing its gratitude, the movement said it was helped by all those who believed that marriage should be permanent.

Dr Camilleri said he hoped the parliamentary debate on divorce would be constructive so that the new law would be the least harmful to society.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Paul Cremona said the Church wished that it had been in a position to contribute more funds to enable the Moviment Żwieġ Bla Divorzju to inform the people about the negative effects of divorce.

“We fulfilled our duty when we contributed financially so that divorce would not be introduced in our country,” Mgr Cremona said when the addressed movement’s activists during Mass.

Mgr Cremona said the Church had the duty to defend marriage and the family and it would continue to work towards this end even after the referendum and the introduction of divorce.

The Church would carry out this work not only through huge financial investment but also through the contribution of hundreds of volunteers offering their professional services to the Cana Movement and in parishes to prepare couples for marriage and help them during married life. Mgr Cremona said that the movement had shared the Church’s ideals and it was for this reason that the Church felt the duty to help it financially.

He thanked all those who had worked to defend marriage and the family during the referendum campaign and appealed to society to invest more in promoting stable marriages and families.