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Busuttil agrees with updating Church-State agreement on marriage tribunals
Church against gay marriage but it will wait for civil unions bill before commenting further.
21 May 2013, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
2 min read
Simon Busuttil (right) with Archbishop Paul Cremona (centre) and auxiliary bishop Charles Scicluna. (Photo: Photocity)
Archbishop Paul Cremona intends taking a cautious stance over forthcoming legislative changes that will sanction civil unions for gay partners, and the Prime Minister's intention to remove the Ecclesiastic Tribunals' authority on marriage annulments.
Cremona today met new PN leader Simon Busuttil at a courtesy meeting where both leaders were quizzed about church-state relations.
Busuttil said the PN would wait and see as to what Joseph Muscat's legislative changes to the Church-State agreement of 1992 will be. "I understand the need to update the agreement to reflect today's realities, however since the government has not yet forwarded the details of how it intends to change the agreement, the PN will have to wait and see. But in principle we agree with updating the agreement," Busuttil said.
On his part, Cremona said the Curia had no problem with seeing that the agreement - which grants Ecclesiastical Tribunals the final authority on the dissolution of church marriages undergoing annulment proceedings - is changed.
Cremona instead reaffirmed the Church's stance against gay marriages, and reflecting on a forthcoming bill to legislate civil unions, said parliament should also give importance to the centrality of the family based on marriage.
"The Church is against gay marriage, but I believe that all humans are equal in front of God. The church agrees with laws that protect individuals in all kinds of partnerships, but it will not favour gay marriage."
Cremona said the church would wait for the upcoming civil union bill before making any further comment.
Busuttil paid tribute to the historical role the Church played in creating institutions of welfare that predated the welfare state, and said he wanted to see stronger relations between the PN and the Catholic Church.
"We are proud of our Catholic values, but the PN is not a confessional party. We are separate from the church, even though our Catholic values are reflected in our policies."
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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@serracin -- 'the lady does protest too much' ... surely you know that those who hate 'the queers' with such a passion turned out usually to be closet homosexuals themselves?! proven over and over again in history :) ... cannot understand why some people find it so hard to live and let live. or how they come to the conclusion that gay marriage might reduce any of their 'rights'. don't worry serracin we shall keep your secret, and no one will force you to have a gay marriage :)
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Human rights dictate that all persons are equal and have to be treated equally. Therefore gay persons have a right to consolidate their union. I agree that they be given the right to get their civil partnership recognized by the State. However, marriage is a different question. Marriage is union between man and woman to procreate. So while gay persons should be given the right to civil union, it should stop short of civil marriage. I believe the majority of the people who voted for the PL back this principle. Going further is stretching the issue to unacceptability.
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Imma dawn in-nies IRRIDUNA NEMMNUHOM????
Imma dawn bis-serjeta ?????? Imma dan Simon Busuttil qieghed jitkellem bis-serjeta fuq il-PN?????
Dan fejn kien dawn l'ahhar 30 sena ???
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"We are proud of our Catholic values, but the PN is not a confessional party. We are separate from the church, even though our Catholic values are
Emmanuel Mallia •
At last, the bishops have spoken on queers ! The faithful must have a church guided conscience, otherwise, Catholics turn to relativism, or better, do-it-yourself religion !
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After 25 years in office the SimonPN woke up to reality! THe PN always on the right side of History oh what a joke! Proud of our Catholic values and PN separate from the church! Hsibtuna kollha cwiec Malta jew?
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So if the church is serious about the “importance to the centrality of the family based on marriage” why is it then opposing gay marriage?! On the one hand the church opposes the liberal life-style where people simply cohabitate with each other, but when gays want to take assume responsibility for each other, and seek state recognition of their relationships, the response of the church is to slam the door in their face ... This is the hypocrisy of the catholic church, and this is why it is making itself more irrelevant by the day ... It seems to me the church quickly comes out and decry any expression of love by consenting adults, loving one another and wishing to assume responsibility for each other, yet it stays ever so silent when it comes to paedophiles abusing innocent children. Maybe because the latter are mainly to be found in its own ranks ... It is interesting to compare the age of consent for homosexual acts is in Europe. Malta and Turkey top the list with a minimum age of 18 years; then there are various groups with Spain nearly at the bottom with the limit at 13 years old -- HOWEVER THIS IS STILL TOPPED BY THE VATICAN WHERE THE AGE OF CONSENT FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTS IS ONLY 12 YEARS OLD!!! How is that for preaching water and drinking wine??? ... Not many people are aware that Pope John Paul II had to order the quarters of the Swiss Guards as OFF LIMITS to all clergy in the vatican below the rank of Secretary of State (meaning that only he and one cardinal could go there), and why? Because so many Swiss guards were quitting their jobs because they were being molested by the clergy!!! Probably Mgr Scicluna knows more details if he cares to share ...
