Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday reiterated that as Prime Minister he would move a Bill on divorce in Parliament and allow Labour MPs a free vote, though he called on the State to provide preparation courses for those who marry outside the Church.

Dr Muscat said he wanted to cast aside the "dark shadows that hang on this hall" and mention the word "divorce", even if it meant he was less popular with the audience as a result.

He said although he was happily married, this did not mean others in a different situation had to bow their heads and accept their predicament; everybody should have a second chance.

Malta, he stressed, had to have a clear position on the delicate matter of divorce. However, Dr Muscat stopped short of saying if Labour planned to include divorce in its next electoral manifesto, as proposed by MP Evarist Bartolo last week.

He stressed that divorce legislation should provide a good chance for the first marriage to succeed and not to speed up the procedures for a second marriage to begin.

The Labour leader said a national forum embracing NGOs, ecclesiastical authorities and legal representatives should be set up to lay the foundation on which the divorce Bill would be built.

Dr Muscat and his wife Michelle, together with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and his wife Kate, were yesterday invited to share their personal experiences during a national conference entitled 'Towards a Strong Marriage'. Chaired by the former editor of The Sunday Times, Laurence Grech, the conference kicked off a marriage week organised by Proġett Impenn.

The Labour leader also accused the State of "abdicating" its role when it came to providing marriage preparation courses, since it had left them in the hands of the Church. "There has to be a synergy between the two if we want to strengthen the family," he said.

The State's involvement was dictated by today's realities whereby civil marriages accounted for 35 per cent of all unions, compared with a mere four per cent 30 years ago - the trend was clearly on the increase, he said.

These couples were not obliged to attend Cana's marriage preparation courses, so Dr Muscat recommended setting up a national institute for family welfare to complement Cana's work.

The audience who packed the ballroom of the Phoenicia Hotel, Floriana, yesterday listened attentively to what the two political leaders had to say.

Consensus existed between Dr Gonzi and Dr Muscat on the importance of creating structures to strengthen the family, but the similarities stopped at divorce.

Dr Gonzi steered clear of replying to a question from the floor as to whether he planned to give Nationalist MPs a free vote in Parliament on divorce, after anchoring his intervention on values. He set off from the premise of strengthening the family before addressing the issue of marriage breakdowns, though he accepted this could not be ignored.

"Marriage is no cruise, but a journey that takes you through highs and lows. We can discuss divorce, but if our point of departure in this debate is that marriage has failed then we may as well put down our weapons and go home - I refuse to do this," he stressed.

"I can't be in this hall today and speak about marriage, divorce and cohabitation without focusing on the values I am basing my decisions on," he said.

He concluded by saying that Malta had to understand the reality of those who chose to cohabit, and accept that if left unregulated, vulnerable people would be cast in dangerous situations.

The government had a responsibility to legislate, but this alone would not strengthen marriage; this was something everybody must work at.

Archbishop Paul Cremona, who closed the conference, felt the fundamental pain of society stemmed from destroyed marriages, and he was disappointed because he had expected more practical proposals to emerge.

He asked if sex was alienating youngsters from building a stronger marriage, since the concept of love and sexuality was being blurred.

Mgr Cremona urged Malta to examine the impact divorce had when introduced in other countries. Society had to choose a model of how to project the reality of marriage and family.

Interesting comments emerged from the floor, from the crucial need to provide structures for families to strike a work/life balance, to the importance of shifting away from rhetoric and implementing measures that protected those who had separated and were cohabiting.

Reacting to the debate, Alternattiva Demokratika issued a statement accusing the Labour and Nationalist parties of ridiculing the issue of divorce.

AD chairman Michael Briguglio said it was crystal clear that despite all "progressive" rhetoric, Labour would not change anything regarding divorce.

"If Labour wants to be taken seriously it should clearly insert the right of divorce in its manifesto and promise to introduce this civil right immediately should it form the next government," he said.

He added: "The PN is not reading the signs of the times and is burying its head in the sand on such an important issue."