Gozo Bishop Mario Grech. Photo: Jason Borg

Young people who reject Christian teachings on sexual morality must be helped to minimise the gravity of their mistakes, according to Gozo Bishop Mario Grech.

In a pastoral letter delivered on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption, Mgr Grech called for the Christian truth on sexuality to be accompanied by mercy.

This was important so that the Church’s teaching about sexuality was delivered as “the good news” instead of “a string of condemnations” that discouraged people struggling with their weakness, he added.

Describing sexuality as “the language of love” and moral guidance as its “grammar”, Mgr Grech called for prudence when talking about the moral responsibility of the person.

“Although one cannot ignore the moral principles that help us live this dimension of sexuality in an authentic way, each person responds morally according to how much that person has managed to make his own the said grammar,” he said.

Mgr Grech remained hopeful that young people would convince themselves to apply these rules but insisted it was necessary to offer them “personalised accompaniment so that the gravity of the mistakes they make is minimised”.

The pastoral letter lays emphasis on the Christian perspective on sexuality.

No sexual activity can be genuine if love is not the driving force, Mgr Grech said.

“There is no trace of love in rape, prostitution and paedophilia. Even the business of pornography, such as the services sold through electronic sites, makes a parody of love.”

He urged Christians to discover the link between “beautiful love” and sexuality, adding that a study conducted by Dar Ġużeppa Debono, a shelter for teenage mothers, found that a majority of young people believed they should not indulge in sexual activity before they meet the person they wish to live with or marry.

There is no trace of love in rape, prostitution and paedophilia

Mgr Grech said parents had to be protagonists in the sexual education of their children, acknowledging the difficulty caused by the pro­liferation of information through the internet.

Genuine education in sexuality and love had its basis in chastity, he added. “Chastity does not mean abstaining from having a sexual relation… but controls over one’s passions.”

Speaking about sexual education, Mgr Grech warned that scientific and technical knowledge about sex that ignored the psychological, affective, social and spiritual aspects of the person would lead to “incomplete” teaching.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com