A large portrait of Jesus Christ on billboards across the island will convince Catholics they should vote against divorce in the May 28 referendum, a spokesman for the Kristu Iva, Divorzju Le movement said yesterday.
Josette Bonello was speaking with a copy of the Bible in hand during a press conference to launch the billboards.
When Catholics saw Christ’s face, the face of truth, they would be more inclined to decide according to his word and, therefore, against divorce, she said. She was replying to a question on whether she thought the statement “Kristu Iva, Divorzju Le” (Yes to Christ, no to divorce) might not alienate some Catholics who had decided to vote in favour of divorce.
Ms Bonello went on to quote from the Bible: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
The movement’s billboards show a well-known illustration of a solemn Jesus looking the viewer in the eye. To his left, in block letters, is the phrase Kristu Iva in red. Underneath it is the phrase Divorzju Le in black.
Clyde Attard, another member of the movement, said that, for Christians, the decision for the May 28 choice was very easy. It was a choice between the word of Christ, who did not want divorce, and the voice of the world, which wanted to split up what God joined.
Asked how the movement could speak that way, when even the Church and respected theologians had not taken such a stand, Mr Attard insisted that, for Christians, conscience was not autonomous from God.
“We are addressing Christians, as the majority of Maltese are Christian. The Christian conscience is based on what Christ said as interpreted by the Church,” Mr Attard said.
When the Church and theologians said the decision should be based on our conscience, there was no other choice but to disagree with divorce because “Jesus Christ does not want it”.
However, Mr Attard said the movement did not have the authority to say whether people would be committing a sin if they voted in favour of divorce.
With outstretched hands, he insisted that if one was a true Christian, if his heart beat for Christ, he had experienced Christ and was not an “a la carte Christian”, then his conscience could not go against what Christ said.
There was a marriage between the Christian conscience and Christ’s word.
Ms Bonello said the movement did not use Christ’s face to help people form their conscience, because, as a Christian laity, it was sure that the Holy Spirit and Christ were alive in all of us.