Malta: voters approve legalization of divorce

May 30, 2011

Nearly 53% of voters in Malta--one of the world’s few officially Catholic nations--voted in favor of the legalization of divorce in a May 29 referendum.

“Even though the result is not what I wished for, now it is our duty to see that the will of the majority is respected,” said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. The nation’s bishops had also spoken out against the measure.

During his April 2010 apostolic journey to Malta, Pope Benedict had urged the nation’s citizens to defend the indissolubility of marriage.

“Your nation should continue to stand up for the indissolubility of marriage as a natural institution as well as a sacramental one, and for the true nature of the family, just as it does for the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death and for the proper respect owed to religious freedom in ways that bring authentic integral development to individuals and society,” he said upon arriving in the nation.

 

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Further information:

• Malta votes for divorce (Vatican Radio)
• Malta votes to allow divorce (CNN)
• Malta: bishop says dissenting Catholics should not receive Communion (CWN, 5/20)
• Malta’s bishops lament divorce as lawmakers consider legalization (CWN, 10/18/10)