Labour leader Joseph Muscat this morning urged society to embark on a healing process in the wake of the referendum, saying that in such a delicate moment, the country needed unity and not division. He also stressed that the Labour Party had no problem with the Church.
He said when speaking in Paola that he knew of many people who were proud of the result achieved in the referendum. Many others were genuinely worried.
The will of the majority needed to be respected, but the minority should never be ignored.
Whatever was done from now on should be aimed at a national healing process where one examined all the arguments made in the referendum campaign, while healing the divisions which had opened within society and even within families.
Malta, he said should not fear change. Change was the essence of life.
Society should not be scared of facing its problems. It would be better for the people if, instead of ignoring a problem, it faced it head-on.
Those who disagreed with divorce should also realise that change should be handled carefully in a way which brought in stability and certainty. Certainly one could no longer have a situation where family crises were not tackled.
Society should rediscover social progress and should not fear uncharted waters and those who were fearful should be helped along the way.
CHURCH AND STATE
One of the challenges ahead was the relationship between State and Church with the state being the civil regulator which had to help everyone without interfering and respecting the belief of the individual. The Church, on the other hand, had and should continue to have a fundamental role in society.
The Labour Party, he said, had no problem with the Church in Malta. It recognised the enormous work done by the Church in Malta over the years, filling a void left by successive governments. The church was a pioneer on social services and had helped many sectors of society, such as those who were addicted to drugs.
The time of difficult relations between the PL and the Church was past. Over the past few weeks there were people who, in the heat of the moment, tried to rekindle the fire of confrontation.
The referendum decision was over ideas, not confrontation, and the PL wanted to make it clear that it regarded the Church as an essential partner for social development, wile respecting the separation of Church and State.
Dr Muscat said one needed, however, to recognise the separation of roles. The future of the country rested on dialogue between State and Church leading to the best solutions.
Dr Muscat said he bore no grudges, despite occasional disagreements, with the Bishops of Malta and Gozo. The overriding sentiment which should reign after this difficult period should be unity.
Society was going through a delicate process and could not afford division, Dr Muscat said.
There were no winners and losers in the referendum, Dr Muscat said, but he was happy for those children born out of wedlock who would no longer be considered as second class citizens.
Dr Muscat said he was proud with the PL role in the referendum and said it did not need to perform any U-turns.
MARIE-LOUISE COLERIO PRECA
Dr Muscat said he wished to thank Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca for her hard work for the Labour Party over the years. He said her position during the divorce referendum was in line with the position of the PL. Ms Coleiro-Preca knew that the people were asking her to reconsider.
"The Labour Party's door remains open" Dr Muscat said.
Dr Muscat said he also wished to welcome Deborah Schembri, who had accepted to be a Labour Party candidate.