What the Sunday papers say…

Malta Today leads with the news that Italy’s Mare Nostrum will be taking over Malta’s refugee burden. As a result of the October 3rd 2013 tragedy, in which more than 400 refugees lost their lives off the coast of Lampedusa, the Italian government has changed its rescue policy at sea, meaning it will now be taking responsibility for all the lives in the country’s waters, as well as those in Maltese waters.

The newspaper also carries out an extensive interview with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, who recently gained widespread criticism for his decision, and his party’s, to abstain on the parliamentary vote to legalise civil unions and gay adoption. Amongst other statements, he PN leader claims that the government has ‘silenced’ the Church, after the latter’s surprisingly low-key presence during the recent debate on civil unions.

Sunday paper Illum reports that 60 per cent of Smart City has already been taken up by various companies. These will start operating in the near future, according to Smart City’s CEO Anthony P. Tabone. The sister newspaper also takes a trip down memory lane, recounting Air Malta’s early years after the national airline celebrated its 40-year anniversary this week.  

The Sunday Times carries out an interview with Gozo Bishop Mario Grech in which he expresses his ‘surprise’ at a recent Vatican survey in which, amongst other findings, it revealed that 50 per cent of Maltese accept and live by the Church’s teachings on responsible birth control. Grech says that it was time to be “prudent in the face of the cultural tsunami society is facing”, referring to the introductions of divorce and same-sex unions.

The Malta Independent on Sunday claims that PN leader Simon Busuttil’s decision to appoint two deputy leaders – Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami – is now coming back to haunt him. In the aftermath of the recent vote on the civil unions bill, in which the PN abstained, this newspaper reveals that whilst de Marco was ‘vehemently’ in favour of the bill, the more conservative Fenech Adami was adamantly against it.

Nationalist organ Il-Mument claims that the government’s favourable stance on civil unions and gay adoption is not unanimously popular amongst Labour Party followers, with a section of these claiming to be “angered and irritated” at the Labour Party’s methods.

It-Torca and Kullhadd both lead with headline claiming that Simon Busuttil decided to abstain on the vote to legalise civil unions in an attempt to avoid a number of resignations within the Nationalist Party – with deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami amongst the names mentioned.