In the divorce referendum, the Maltese population had the luxury of casting their vote in private. No such luck for MPs.

Their every thought is questioned and fought over in the media. So it is not surprising if many were to be struggling with how to reconcile their democratic duty with their private beliefs.

In matters of values, it is important to distinguish between three levels that impinge on people’s decisions: basic human values, religious beliefs and the Church’s position.

Everyone agrees that certain basic and fundamental values seem to be shared by most of the human race, such as love, compassion, solidarity, tolerance and mutual respect.

These values can be found in almost all human societies irrespective of culture, race or religion.

If one chooses to belong to a particular religion, then one follows certain rules – though most people now seem to pick and choose which particular rules and rituals to follow and which not.

Then there are the teachings of the Church. Like human other institutions it has to deal with issues of leadership, human frailty and simple human error.

Clearly, the Church suffered a crisis of leadership. There was no common position that all its officers could buy into and follow. As a result we were faced with conflicting positions taken by different bishops and different priests.

This confused many people and upset many others. But I would argue that this matters very little. It is an issue for the Church and its leadership to sort out and, once sorted, to present to the public.

The Church needs to get itself organised and find a way to speak with one voice and thereby be in a position to fulfil its duty as mediator of and reliable guide to the teachings of the Catholic religion.

Secondly, if you wish to follow the rules of the Catholic religion, then do not divorce your spouse. This position is a matter of religion.

Finally, and most importantly, if you have a conscience and any basic moral values, then you need to be tolerant and compassionate.

In other words, you have to respect the fact that others have different religious beliefs, have different personal situations and choose to lead their lives in ways that are different to yours.

So, to the MPs who are struggling in the full glare of the media, I would say this.

As a matter of conscience and basic human morals, you have no choice but to vote in favour of allowing those who wish to divorce to do so.

As a matter of your own personal religious beliefs, if you are a full-menu Catholic, you should not divorce your spouse.