Archbishop Paul Cremona is talking personally to priests whom the Curia believes have overstepped the mark in Sunday sermons on divorce, amid concerns they could be harming the Church.
However, when contacted, a Curia spokesman said clergymen could broach the subject of divorce on the pulpit and nobody should expect them not to speak out.
The Sunday Times sought the Archbishop’s reaction after receiving complaints from churchgoers who left halfway through Mass when priests were deemed to deal with the subject in a judgmental manner.
Joe Cassar, from Luqa, felt he had to write in after he watched a “number” of the congregation walk away when the priest chose to come out “harshly against divorce” during Sunday Mass two weekends ago.
He urged the Church to be gentle with “her flock”, adding it was up to the Church to show Christian faith was “forever fresh”.
University lecturer Fr Joe Borg refers to a separate incident in his column today (see page 30), where a Catholic walked out of Mass in a Sliema parish when the priest urged the congregation to “unbind us from sin if we’re to seek salvation”.
These situations are becoming increasingly frequent as the debate on divorce heats up with just three weeks to go to the referendum.
Were the priests delivering such dogmatic messages on the instruction of the Church?
“Marriage, family and divorce are part of the teachings of the gospel and of the Church. These have always been and shall remain, whatever happens in the referendum... Therefore, one has to distinguish between what is being said,” the Curia said.
“If the priest prudently preached the gospel to the believers who come to listen to God’s word, there is no reason for alarm or to leave the church.
“If a priest goes beyond this, he might compromise the very gospel message. Like all other circumstances, the Archbishop tackles these situations when the identity of the priest is known. But one cannot expect the Archbishop to make public the dialogue that takes place between him and the priest concerned,” it said.
The Church recognised the challenge priests face in striking a balance between presenting Christ’s teachings and divorce, so in March it issued a pastoral letter to guide them through the minefield.
In this letter the bishops urged priests to help project a culture of a stable, permanent marriage, and said it was their responsibility to enlighten Catholics’ conscience in pursuit of the truth. Towards the end of the letter, the bishops said Christians had to take the decision in favour of or against divorce according to their beliefs. However, they go on to say that a law that nullifies the permanency of marriage goes against God’s will.
“Therefore, the Christian in favour of divorce creates a conflict between what he believes and what he intends to choose, which will have irreparable consequences. In our pastoral work, we have a duty to help Christians make a proper judgment of conscience on marriage according to the word of God...”
Asked if this could confuse priests to misinterpret the pastoral guidelines, the Curia spokesman replied: “The letter to priests is public and everyone can read the guidelines which are clear enough. But whatever is written or said is open to interpretation. Needless to say, not every interpretation is authentic and genuine.”