The divorce debate

In response to Catherine Zammit's reply (November 1) to my letter entitled Marital Bond Missing From Divorce Debate, I would like to clarify certain points. Nowhere, in my letter, did I state that I expect all Christians to continue in a failed marriage. In fact, what I did say was that we have to do our utmost to make our marriage succeed. My whole argument was about examining all options to save one's marriage before resorting to divorce.

I agree with Ms Zammit that nobody has the right to force one to stay in a bond which is making one unhappy. I also agree that it is not merely religious values that keep marriages together but religious values give meaning and weight when certain decisions are taken. Precisely because we are Christians, religious values have a meaning and very often these values make us see and judge things differently. Because we believe, we see things in a different perspective and reason differently. The whole argument of my letter was to look at divorce in a wider context. By giving too much prominence to divorce we seem to neglect the value of marriage as a permanent and sacred bond.

Though in my write-up my aim was to encourage couples to work hard and constantly to safeguard their marriage vows, I also remarked that "while doing our utmost not to promote the culture of divorce, let us not impede individuals who sincerely think that they have made a mistake and cannot go on living together, from the possibility of having a way out."