The Gozitan diocese will be setting up a family therapy clinic so that couples facing difficulty in their marriage would find “the medicine that heals them” according to Gozo Bishop Mario Grech.

In a pastoral letter about solidarity to commemorate the Assumption of Our Lady, Mgr Grech said the clinic will be a response to the cry for help by a number of couples who are facing difficulties that are putting the stability of their marriage and their family at risk.

“Solidarity requires us to offer solutions that heal wounds and help couples regain stability rather than instigate division among married couples,” Mgr Grech said, adding that a Christian’s behaviour in front of these human tragedies “should not be one of condemnation and disdain”.

The bishop said solidarity was not simply an act of charity but rather a way of life. Solidarity must be accompanied by justice, he added.

Mgr Grech thanked employers who did not make their staff redundant despite the economic crisis, pointing out this was also a form of solidarity.

However, he raised the plight of Gozitan young people, who did not find enough job opportunities in Gozo.

“As long as there isn’t any serious investment by the private or public sector in Gozo, young people will be faced with the challenge of internal migration to find productive jobs,” Mgr Grech said.

He also warned that tax evasion and the abuse of public funds went counter to the principles of solidarity in a society that wanted to help those most in need.