The number of Church weddings has dropped by half since 1975, when civil marriage was introduced in Malta, and a third of children are now born out of wedlock, Mgr Philip Calleja told the parliamentary Family Affairs Committee this evening.
There were 3,085 marriages in 1975, practically all at the altar. Of 2,596 marriages in 2010 (the highest in a decade), 1,749, or 67 per cent, were religious marriages in Malta and Gozo. The number of Church weddings in Malta last year was 1,520.
Speaking on behalf of a group which organises marriage preparation courses for Maltese marrying foreigners, Mgr Calleja said the time had come for Malta to consider some way how it could help prepare Maltese marrying foreigners, even civilly.
In his presentation, Mgr Calleja said the number of civil marriages now accounted for a fifth of the number of marriages at the altar.
He observed that there was a concentration of civil marriages in and around Sliema as well as in St Paul's Bay and Qawra.
Many of those who opted to marry at the registry office did so because they could not, or did not wish to marry in Church and those who were not Catholic.
Society needed to help not only in the preparation of those who married at the registry office but also help those who gave birth out of wedlock, Mgr Calleja said.
The sharp rise in the number of children born out of wedlock was also evident in most other countries, notably the United States and Europe, Mgr Calleja said.
The number of civil marriages had risen sharply, he said, and one was worried over who the Maltese were marrying - because of the future of the children.
Mgr Calleja said that in the same way as his group organised preparation for Maltese who married foreigners in Church or civilly, there should also be lectures for those wishing to have a civil marriage, particularly when they married someone of a different culture.
During the committee meeting, Dr Justyne Caruana (PL) objected that in Mgr Calleja's presentation documents, there was reference to 'illegitimate' children. Such terminology, she said, was no longer used. It was acceptable to say that children were born out of wedlock, but 'illegitimate' was unacceptable.
She agreed, however, that the number of children born out of wedlock was worrying.
Mgr Calleja agreed, and said the group's purpose was to help the parents and children.
Committee chairman Jean-Pierre Farrugia (PN) said birth rates were falling all over Europe, to the extent that European governments were encouraging women to have children, even outside wedlock.
Mgr Grech said the population in Africa would be twice that of Europe by 2025.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca (PL) said studies were needed on why people were opting not to marry.
She agreed that better preparation was needed for couples, even those who opted for civil marriage, as it was important for the state to promote the institution of the family as far as possible. Indeed, the choices in favour of marriage should be promoted even in schools.
Mgr Calleja said he was concerned about Maltese marrying Egyptians and people of other nationalities from a different culture, who needed to be well prepared. He was also concerned about people marrying only after getting to know each other on the Internet.
Dr Caruana said it was important that spouses were able to shoulder the responsibilities of marriages. Indeed, even the Church's marriage preparation courses needed to be improved.
The committee agreed to continue the discussion at another meeting.