The Church promotes marriage and defends it because this will result in fewer breakdowns, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo bishop Mario Grech said this morning in a pastoral note on marriage and the family.

In their note they asked how could one expect the church to not be speaking out for preventive measures by promoting and defending the stability of marriage?

They said that as there were those who promoted divorce in a pluralistic society, the Church’s mission was to promote the stability of marriage, insisting on the moment of consent as the focal point of one’s commitment.

“In divorce there is a shift from this focal point towards each moment which is presented as giving the spouse a potential right to consider his/her consent and commitment thus ending one’s marriage,” they said.

The two bishops urged committed members of the Church, both on a personal level, according to one’s state in life and responsibility in society, and in ecclesial groups, to contribute and to contribute positively to this debate.

“They will be doing a service not only to the Church but to the whole of Maltese society.”

They asked such contributors “not to distort the love for each person ingrained in the Christian message by embarking on some kind of crusade, even in the case of clear signs of provocation”.

A crusade, they said, implied seeking victory over the other person of different belief and opinion, by whatever means.

“Spreading the good news must never be just a reaction.

“It implies respecting even those who do not agree with us to a point that one wants in love and humility to share one’s convictions with them without fear, but in convincing love,” Archbishop Cremona and bishop Grech said.

The bishops' note can be read in its entirety in the pdf link attached.