I was appalled by Martin Scicluna's writings in the past couple of weeks. He advocates the quick introduction of divorce in Malta, as if it were some miraculous solution to all of Malta's social problems. He also suggests the introduction of the no-fault divorce, in order to eliminate the harm and the bitterness the litigation process may create.

No one in Malta is oblivious to the fact that there are problems in our marriages. I have not yet met one person who is unaware of these issues, but I have met people who say they are in favour of the family, speak a lot, but do not deliver.

Unfortunately, the mass media are portraying an exaggerated situation, but statistics offered by NSO show that the number of separated, divorced and annulled persons is 10,596 - 3.4 per cent of the Maltese population (Lifestyle Survey 2007, May 2009). When one works towards the promotion of marriage and family, one is working towards the promotion of a healthy society and not any particular religion.

Marriage and family belong to the social domain; they are part of the common heritage of mankind and therefore are above all religions and institutions. Therefore, our politicians are duty-bound to work for solutions which strengthen marriage and the family. What the Church is defending is precisely what belongs to the common good, which has nothing to do with what the majority or the minority think.

What I found bizarre was the assertion that one would be advancing the institution of marriage if one gave legal recognition to second relationships. By admitting remarriage you are undermining the very institution of marriage. Marriage is intrinsically indissoluble and by permitting remarriage you are destroying it. In fact, from research, we know that where divorce was introduced, the number of marriages went down. It is utterly indisputable that no-fault divorce leads to more divorces.

There are some who say that we are without sentiment for those unhappy in their first marriage. This is untrue. One need only look at the never-ending list of appointments of the Church's institutions, like the Cana Movement, to see how much time and energy the Church dedicates to these couples; and anyway, who is saying that the second marriage is going to be a happy one?