‘It is our Catholic duty to vote Yes’ – new pro-divorce movement

Addressing the media in front of St John’s Cathederal, the ‘Catholics: Yes, Because it is a Right’ movement said the lobby was set up to “help clear the air as much as possible” and said their aim was to help voters “make an informed decision”.

Carmel Hili, spokesperson of the new movement, said Maltese Catholics are “troubled by conflicting messages … There were some who invited them to vote according to their conscience, others who suggested they would commit a grave sin if they voted in favour, or abstained.”

Quoting from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Hili said: “God does not want to impose the good, but wants free beings. The same Catechism affirms that ‘if civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and not constitute a moral offense’.”

The movement reiterated that it felt “duty bound” to promote the rights of all citizens, “even where we do not agree with them or when they might use their rights in a way that we may not approve.”

Hili said that voters should be free to make up their mind in a rational way, without any direct imposition or threats. “We believe it is our duty – our Catholic duty – to vote yes in the referendum. We are not arguing that divorce is moral or not sinful, but we are believing that divorce is a civil right.”

He claimed that as a group, they distinguish between what is morally good and what is good for the state. “Even though some of us might not agree with divorce because some of us believe it is morally wrong, at the same time we believe other people who do not same the share belief, should be allowed to obtain divorce.”

The movement argued that adults are mature enough to decide for themselves what they want of life: “If we impose our beliefs on others, this referendum will not be fair and right … it is our Catholic duty to see that the state does not impose any particular morality on the entire population.”

Hili added the movement is not associated with any particular political party and – answering to questions by journalists – he said the Church was not asked to endorse the movement.

Describing their logo as “encapsulating this philosophy”, the movement said St Peters’ dome symbolises their catholic beliefs, whilst the open arms silhouette refers to anyone who votes ‘Yes’ and who should not feel excluded from the Church or “condemned for betraying the teachings of Christ”.