For once in my life I just to have to agree with the Bishop of Gozo who thinks that a family is a relationship between a man and a woman, who unite in marriage with the intention of having and raising children.
According to Bishop Grech all other types of relationships are not comparable to THE family and, should not be referred to, or treated (by the state) as such.
Hand on heart I think that, this time, The Bishop is absolutely right.
Let’s face it, people who decide to live together just because they love, respect, and are committed to each other, are not families.
People who live together but do not believe in the institution of marriage, are not families.
People in same sex relationships, who couldn’t get married even if they wanted to, are not families.
People waiting for their divorce to go through, living together and bringing up each other’s children, are not families.
People living together with no intention of having children, are not families.
Single parents bringing up children on their own, are not families.
There’s no doubt about it....the Bishop is right, none of these are families because, they are SUPER families.
SUPER families, live and behave just like families despite not being recognized by the state.
SUPER families love each other and stick to one another despite having to prove the worthiness of their relationship every time they have a medical emergency, or a legal battle.
SUPER families read The Bishop’s pastoral letter, shake their head in dismay, get momentarily hot under the collar, and then get on with their lives and jobs to support their SUPER families.
SUPER families live life with their middle finger constantly aimed at the authorities, the church and all those institutions and closed-minded bigots who have never lived a day in their shoes, but still have the audacity of looking down at their relationships.
SUPER families live in the knowledge that it’s only a matter of time before the church will have to swallow its own words and come back with an apology.
Until that happens, and it will, SUPER families will sit back and watch the church dig its own hole trying to defend the biggest papal contradiction of all times - that whilst 12 men and the Son of God were a family 2000 years ago, there’s no way that two men who have been living together for the past ten years, loving and supporting each other in every way possible, and taking care of their elderly parents, could possibly be a family.
In fact according to the all-embracing, loving, and tolerant church, not having any legal or state recognition is not discriminatory enough, and that more needs to be done to widen the gap between families and SUPER families, otherwise, God forbid, SUPER families might actually catch up with the ‘real’ families!
SUPER families are patiently listening to all this in the knowledge that the church is so afraid of losing its monopoly on made-up stories that control people’s lives that its only hope of survival is to exert its influence on the State.
And who can blame the church for trying?
But as worrying as this sounds, there’s no doubt in my head that this will only help win the secular battle hands down.
So Godspeed to all SUPER families out there...hang in there...the time will come!