Church wished it could have given more to anti-divorce campaign

Archbishop Paul Cremona yesterday told Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju activists he would have wanted the Church to be in a better financial position to make a larger contribution than the €180,000 it donated to the anti-divorce movement for its campaign in the divorce referendum. “In making financial contributions to lobby against the introduction of divorce, we did our duty,” Cremona said.

Cremona thanked the activists and expressed appreciation for the work they carried out. He said that although the movement was “secular and autonomous and worked independently from the Church, like the Church it worked to inform the people about the indissolubility of marriage.”

“Throughout the referendum campaign, the movement and church shared the same ideal. Because of this, the Church felt obliged to provide financial assistance to Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju.”

The Church effectively financed 75% of the anti-divorce campaign, confirming its frontline role in Zwieg Bla Divorzju. The movement, which is the first to declare its finances for the referendum campaign, said it also received another €56,000 in contributions from various groups, families and individuals.

Cremona stressed that no sum was too large for the social value of families and indissoluble marriage. “The benefit of not introducing divorce would have considerably outweighed any expenditure made to lobby against it,” Cremona said.

He underlined the Church’s “duty to defend marriage and the family like it has been doing for entire centuries” and said its work would “remain strong even after the referendum and the introduction of divorce.”

He said that Church closely accompanied Maltese families through their life journey and emphasized that it is the only institution in Malta that prepares couples for marriage and provides shelter for children who do not have a healthy family environment.

Cremona appealed for society to continue investing in stable marriages and united families. “Everyone agrees that this would mean a better environment for budding couples, children, and ultimately, the whole of society.”