Malta, Italy

Malta: the bishops on the “yes” to divorceA referendum on the introduction of divorce was held in Malta on Sunday 29 May. It was passed with 54% of voters (two thirds of the electorate) saying “yes” and 46% “no”. So a third of the electorate failed to vote. The Archbishop of Malta, Mgr. Pawlu Cremona, speaks of the Church’s “disappointment” in the result of the referendum and emphasises that only 7% of marriages contracted in the country end in separation. Nonetheless, he says, “we live in a very secularized society and this also poses a challenge for the Church, precisely in terms of her pastoral ministry”. Explaining that he was not referring only to the pastoral care of the family, “however important that is”, Mgr. Cremona thinks that the Church “needs to go beyond that and find a ministry that takes into consideration the personal decision of each Christian”. At the same time “evangelization needs to be reinforced not only in terms of culture, but also “in terms of the family which must be the motor of evangelization for children”. This, he concludes, “is, I believe, the challenge that the Church must face today”. According to the pro-vicar Mgr. Anton Gouder, “the Church must conduct a profound examination of conscience to understand why people voted in favour of divorce”. “Ever more Maltese – he observes – have distanced themselves from her teachings, while continuing at the same time to feel themselves Catholics”. In underlining “the confusion on how a good Catholic ought to have voted in the referendum”, Mgr. Gouder also expresses disappointment that “not all the points contained in a declaration of how to vote according to conscience, signed by various priests and theologians last year, were taken into consideration”, and points out that “the referendum campaign also demonstrated that the religious knowledge and experiences of many Catholics leave much to be desired”. A statement signed by Archbishop Cremona, Mgr, Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo, and Mgr. Annetto Depasquale, titular bishop of Aradi, was issued on 31 May, in which they affirm among other things: “We feel that during these past days, not enough attention was paid to our message on the necessity to invest more in marriage and the family. We are all in agreement that marriage and the family are the most conducive environment for the benefit of the spouses themselves , their children and ultimately for the whole of society. We need to translate our worthy desires into ideas, into concrete actions, which may serve as a means of encouragement for our youth to enter marriage with a greater sense of commitment, as well as support them throughout their married life”.Italy: the bishops on education, family and the Libyan crisis”Education is the main focus of attention and priority commitment of Italian dioceses in the current decade: this demands a careful analysis of the cultural dynamics in which it is called to perform its role. It is essential to tackle the cultural question to reach a proposal of faith, in a society in which individualistic thought transforms freedom into a privilege of the stronger and leads to the vice of indifference”. So says the final communiqué of the 63rd General Assembly of Italian bishops, held in Rome from 23 to 17 May. In the bishops’ view, educating in the faith is now becoming “the paramount need and service to which the Church is called, by giving scope and depth to her cultural commitment and her witness of charity”. “The primary subject of education”, they emphasize, remains the family “in spite of all the fragilities that characterize it”. But apart from the family, “the role of the parish remains fundamental”; and, together with it, the “lay associations, groups and movements also need to be promoted, and their educational experiences and proposals carefully assessed”. In addition, “much is expected of priests” Reaffirming “the esteem in which they are held”, the bishops ask them to make “a qualitative leap in their service, the foundations of which must be laid ever since their formation in seminary”. The bishops further stress “the importance of offering an hospitable and vital response in particular to lapsed Catholics who wish to come back to the Church: in other words, those who, after a period of indifference or rejection, have come to the decision to resume religious practice and to feel themselves part of the Church”. Other problems that are of concern to the bishops include that of the precariousness of labour relations “which submits young people in particular to a great deal of suffering”, and “the contraction of social services, especially those in terms of healthcare”. The bishops are unanimous about the need for “energies to be invested in forming a new generation of administrators and politicians passionate about the common good”. On the sexual abuses perpetrated by ordained ministers, which they call “an infamous scourge”, the bishops reaffirmed that “the integrity of priests could not be violated”. As for the dramatic situation in Libya, the bishops make a plea for a ceasefire, urging that “weapons give way to diplomacy; that North Africa be felt by Europe as the scene of momentous historical changes; and that the commitment to accept refugees be shared at the EU level”.