ANALYSIS: Malta 'grows up' with yes vote for divorce

By Herman Grech May 31, 2011, 9:45 GMT

Valletta, Malta - Many have seen Malta's vote in favour of the introduction of divorce legislation in a referendum this past weekend as a belated green light to a basic civil right.

'Yes to Divorce' said the front page of leading Maltase daily The Times on Monday, while the left-leaning L-Orizzont was more opinionated in its lead story headline: 'Reason prevails.'

Martin Scicluna, an author of a research study on divorce, wrote in Monday's edition of The Times newspaper that Malta had finally 'grown up' and that the 'dark ages' of close state-church relations had finally been put behind.

The narrow victory for the pro-divorce movement came following a hotly-debated campaign in the Mediterranean island nation where 97 per cent of the population describe themselves as Roman Catholics.

Many commentators agreed that the result - 53 per cent in favour of divorce - will have major implications for both the church and the government in a country which had remained along with the Philippines and the Vatican as the only countries in the world to prohibit divorce.

When the divorce bill was presented last July to parliament in a surprise move by a lawmaker of the ruling Catholic-rooted Nationalist Party, it instantly elicited a negative reaction from the church, which warned followers that divorce would ruin the tightly-knit Maltese family.

In the weeks ahead of last Saturday's vote, the issue transcended divorce and came to be seen as a referendum on whether the Maltese wanted to see the church play a lesser role in society and politics.

Clerics cited Pope Benedict XVI, who in an April 2010 visit had lauded the Maltese for rejecting divorce and upholding traditional family values.

Just days before the referendum, one bishop called Catholics in favour of divorce 'wolves in sheep's clothing' and warned they might not be able to receive Holy Communion.

But when the result was announced on Sunday, newspaper columnist Father Joe Borg wrote on his blog that he had warned that the Church was boxing itself into a 'lose-lose' situation.

'The whispering and then loud references to mortal sin, the Bible brandishing during televised debates, the wrong use (not to say abuse) of sacred images and occasions were among the things that, I fear, painted the Church as an organization bent on imposition not dialogue,' he wrote.

Meanwhile some of the political repercussions of the referendum result were also becoming apparent.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's decision to campaign against divorce was a strategy which has clearly backfired, observers noted.

Writer and philosopher Oliver Friggieri echoed the sentiments of many in saying that the biggest loser is the Nationalist Party as it now has to somewhat reconcile its official stance against divorce with the will of the people.

Many analysts already agree it may spark an identity crisis within the party which is now struggling to unite social liberals and conservatives under its 'Christian-Democrat' umbrella.

When the 'yes' result started emerging on Sunday, Gonzi promised parliament would respect the - legally non-binding - referendum, and in fact, on Monday, parliament decided to debate the matter before the summer recess.

With a wafer-thin majority of parliamentarians backing hin, and an election in 18 months' time, analysts agreed it was in his interest to sanction divorce legislation as soon as possible and hope to recoup the lost sheep who voted 'yes.'