During the divorce referendum campaign, many of the letters in favour of divorce had the distinctive feature of strong anger against the Catholic Church because some priests/brothers had molested boys. Anger can be quite a treacherous guide and many times it leads people into error.

Let me state from the outset that those who commit these types of scandals are indeed guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder. I also feel that justice in this case seems dead slow. However, to butt in this sad story in the divorce campaign was totally unfair and misleading. The Church was attacked and told to zip its lips and concentrate on the abuse scandal.

The number of religious people involved in this scandal is very small compared with the total number of religious in Malta and it is absolutely not an indication of how religious people normally behave.

We all know that the great majority of religious are dedicated people working hard disinterestedly in schools, institutes, youth centres and parishes. There is no need to single out anybody; we all know that religious people and good acts go together.

Another point used to attack the Church in the divorce campaign was the claim, put forward by a learned person, that the Church makes a fortune from the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, when the truth is that the Church has to subsidise the Ecclesiastical Tribunal in order to keep it functioning.

It was truly a case where important people should be more responsible and check their facts instead of venting their anger on the Church.

Another outstanding peculiarity in the Yes campaign was the sarcastic and arrogant questions put forward to the Church: ‘Who are you to speak?’ and ‘Do you think we are in the Middle Ages, in the 50s...?’

The Church’s authority to speak is not given by individuals or in particular periods of time. It is not Pope Benedict or Archbishop Paul Cremona or Mgr Anton Gouder who give authority. It is the Lord who orders the Church to speak in His name.

God already spoke of this authority by means of the prophets: “I will give him complete authority under the King, the descendant of David. He will have the keys of office, what he opens no one shall shut, and what he shuts no one shall open”. And Jesus Christ is very clear too.

I feel anger has led some contributors to be unfair with the Church and hence unjust with the electorate.