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.
A third of children born out of wedlock
Speaking on behalf of a group which organises marriage preparation courses for Maltese marrying foreigners, Mgr Philip Calleja told the parliamentary Family Affairs Committee yesterday there were 3,085 marriages in 1975, practically all in Church.
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.
Mgr Calleja said the time had come for Malta to consider how it could help prepare Maltese marrying foreigners, even civilly.
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.
Mgr Calleja said 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.
The number of civil marriages had risen sharply, he said, and one was worried over whom the Maltese were marrying because of the future of the children.
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.
While objecting to the reference to “illegitimate” children, Justyne Caruana (PL) agreed 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.
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 people 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 responsibility of marriage. Even the Church’s marriage preparation courses needed to be improved.