Archbishop Paul Cremona and Bishops Mario Grech and Anton Depasquale released a short statement in which they made a number of reflections evaluating "the discussion taking place in the country regarding marriage and the family".

The statement is too short to do justice to the number of points raised in it. It could be better understood if read together with the long letter Archbishop Cremona had sent to Malta Today published on June 1. The letter can serve as a sort of commentary on the issues raised and summarily treated in the statement.

It is positive to note that the tone of both the statement and the letter is neither polemical nor condemnatory. The bishops make their position clearly and assertively without giving even a hint of launching some latter day crusade on the issue. But they clearly express their wish that there should really be an open discussion on the subject that would not exclude the Christian community. This yearning of the bishops is shown in two out of the four points made in the statement. In contrast to those who say that the Church and the Christian community should stay out of the debate, the bishops quite rightly assert that "the Christian community may and should give its contribution in this discussion".

It seems the bishops feel that due to this leave-the-Church-out-of-it attitude, some may be holding back from expressing their opinions. They voice the wish for a different attitude: "We hope that many will be those whose choice to give a contribution openly in favour of marriage and the family will overcome the choice to remain silent because of the fear of criticism."

In the letter, Archbishop Cremona had strongly advised having an open discussion which would be carried on in full respect of all opinions and without assuming that the only result should be a yes to divorce. The discussion about the legalisation or otherwise of divorce should be characterised by an open and free attitude. All sides must avoid religious or secular fundamentalism, while mutual respect should always be paramount.

The bishops say that "the experience of other countries" bears witness to the negative effects of divorce. It is not enough, however, to make this statement without amplifying it and demonstrating it. Quite naturally others may point to different experiences and studies as well as give different interpretations to statistics and research on the subject and arrive at a different conclusion.

This is another reason why dialogue is the way forward to gain a better appreciation of the myriad consequences of divorce legislation, whether positive or negative.

The first point of the Bishops' statement is by no means controversial. "The Church... believes that marriage and the family are of fundamental benefit for the individual and society." There is widespread support in Malta for such view. The Times had made the same reflection: "There is no doubt that healthy marriages and strong families are a must for society."

We propose that the debate about divorce be enlarged to a debate about how all families and marriages, especially problematic ones, should and could be helped. We made this appeal in a previous editorial. We are certain that both the pro- and anti-divorce factions will agree with efforts aimed at strengthening family ties, even if they disagree on the wisdom of introducing divorce.