Alarming number of 'unknown fathers' in Malta

Eighty per cent of baptisms in Paola, 45 per cent at St Dominic's, Valletta, and 35 per cent in Cospicua are registered as 'unknown father', while other parishes show similar high percentages, an investigation of parish baptismal records has shown.

Often, the presumed "unknown father" is also present for the baptism of the child, Fr Paul Galea, a lecturer in pastoral psychology, said at yesterday's national conference entitled 'Marriage - Quo Vadis?', where he spoke about the local phenomenon of the "fatherless" society.

The name of the father was omitted by the young mothers more to preserve their sole guardianship in the absence of any commitment, or for social assistance, and not because he was unknown, Fr Galea pointed out.

Calling for a concerted effort to face these problems, Fr Galea said that the fatherhood crisis had to be reckoned with.

With 30 per cent of children born out of wedlock each year, Fr Galea asked whether it was possible that such a traditional society, with strong family ties, could undergo such a rapid transformation within the span of a generation.

Maltese couples seemed to be "sliding" into marriage, rather than deciding to enter into it freely, explaining why some marriages failed straightaway, despite a long, deep, premarital relationship, Fr Galea said. Cohabitation in Malta was on the increase, he said, and although it did not compare with Western countries, an eye had to be kept on the growing tendency towards the "privatisation" of relationships, especially for singles who could marry.

The government had been criticised about social assistance offered to single mothers, encouraging teenage sexual activity and pregnancies, Fr Galea pointed out, asking why married mothers were not helped even more if the aim was to increase the birth rate.

Despite the fact that Church marriages have declined while civil marriages are on the increase, the religious wedding still remains a favourite - even though 30 per cent of these couples never go to church.

Fr Galea said attempts were being made to develop a theology of marriage that was less rooted in Canon Law, giving more leeway to pastors to address contemporary issues in marriage.

"It is imperative that pastors adopt more relevant forms of thinking and find more positive ways of talking about sexuality. An appreciation of the beauty of the human body is needed," Fr Galea said.

Organised by Progettimpenn, a task force of Caritas, the Kummissjoni Djocesana Familja and the Cana Movement, and held at the St Agatha auditorium in Rabat, the conference was also addressed by Harry Benson, founder of the Bristol Community Family Trust in the UK.

In his concluding address, Archbishop Paul Cremona, echoing the words of Pope Benedict XVI, asked whether the dream of talking about the ecology of marriage and the family - in the way society was talking about the ecology of the environment - would ever materialise.

That value was clear, accepted and defended, while the Church's moral values were under attack. But this was the risk the Church had to take to continue spreading its Word, the Archbishop said.

Mgr Cremona said the Church no longer had the moral strength of the past, when it was the pillar of Maltese society as regards values and behaviour, which are being criticised today. When it recognised that its teachings were not being accepted, the Church had to take on the form of a movement and work to promote its message. The social debate should not be in favour or against the Church, but in favour or against the values of society, he said.

Factbox - The marriages situation in numbers

• Separations between 1995 and 2006 more than doubled, marking an increase of 168 per cent.

• Spouses that are both Maltese have decreased steadily from 80 per cent to 60 per cent, with more mixed marriages taking place. Statistics reveal a preference among males for British girls, with a steady increase of Russian and Asian partners.

• According to the 2005 census, cohabiting couples amounted to 31.4 per cent of the 1,606 declared cohabitants - 5.5 per cent of the married population. The number of people whose marriage was annulled and who were cohabiting was 35.6 per cent of declared cohabitants.

• Between 2006 and 2007, 68 babies were born to mothers under 16. The youngest recorded age of a single mother was 12.

• Like other European countries, single mothers and their offspring are most prevalent among the less educated, who engage in low-paying jobs.

• In 2006, 1,879 single mothers received €8.1 million in social benefits and allowances.