So they may live happily...

The challenges facing the Church in its pastoral ministry of the family and Christian marriages are enormous. Maltese society has changed. The presence of the Church in Maltese society has also evolved. Although Church and State have not always been in agreement, yet the hierarchical Church always exercised great moral influence on the faithful and on the governing bodies.

In modern and secularised Malta the Church finds itself on a different plain. Maltese society is fast becoming pluralist, multi-cultured and multi-religious. It is not as homogenous as it was before. These social changes inevitably affect the lives of people. People's attitudes towards the Church and its teaching are not as positive as before. As individuals become more rational and aware of their personal freedom, they become less inclined to adhere to the Church's law, at least not without criticism. As people become increasingly aware of their civil rights and duties, they become less afraid to make up their own minds.

The relation between the Church and the faithful cannot be taken for granted anymore. The Church has to reckon with the rule of civil law which is increasingly becoming the guiding rule to which people look up to resolve their private problems.

Trying to define marriage and family is becoming highly contentious nowadays. The Christian ideal of both marriage and family is seen by some to be outmoded and exclusive. People today are experimenting more with various forms of relationships, which place them completely outside the Christian parameters of what is permissible or not. Concepts such as desacralisation and secularisation are used by social analysts to explain the relational transformations taking place in marriage and family life today.

A case in point is the greater number of civil marriages, the widespread use of contraceptives and open cohabitation. This moving away from the Christian ideal does not necessarily mean that certain traditional values are no longer present in married and family life. On the contrary, social researchers conclude that values such as fidelity, spending time together, sharing of personal problems and common interests, understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and appreciation and a satisfactory sexual relationship are seen as desirable by most couples.

However, these values are not perceived solely as Christian. There are those who tend to build their relationships on value systems that may not be exclusively religious. What is of concern is a new individualistic, hedonist, consumerist and utilitarian mentality that will constantly challenge the Christian understanding of marriage as permanent and indissoluble.

Feedback that is given by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and marriage counsellors tends to agree with what social researchers are saying. If modern trends give rise for concern we must also emphasise the fact that many Catholic marriages and families are still being faithful to their Christian commitment. However, the Church today faces a big challenge because Catholic marriages are becoming vulnerable as they face the influx of these modern and secular trends.

The Synodal document approved by the Archbishop on marriage and the family offers pastoral suggestions to face up to the new challenges. The substance of a Christian marriage is a life-long bond between a man and a woman, lived in faith. This is still the aspiration of most engaged couples preparing to enter marriage.

When couples or individuals find themselves in difficulties they still look up to the Church for guidance. Many couples who file their case with the Ecclesiastical Tribunal do so because many still have trust in the Church and take their faith seriously. The present situation at the tribunal is becoming untenable due to the ever increasing backlog of cases.

Administrative changes must be brought about so that the tribunal will function more efficiently in favour and in support of those who are left anxiously waiting long years for a judgment.

The Synodal document says that a commission should be established to study the pastoral role of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. In this sense, one of the measures that could be suggested is to study why there are and how to resolve bottlenecks which burden and slow down the whole modus operandi of examining the cases. Why is it not possible to have a fast lane for those cases which prima facie are so obvious and clear? If the tribunal lacks personnel, steps need to be taken to increase the number of staff. For instance, why should it not make use of more professional people, ex parte, especially psychologists who can examine cases and present reports under oath?

The same goes for those civil lawyers who have followed courses run by the tribunal. The process of collecting evidence from witnesses could be restructured so that it is done speedily. Tape-recording of witnesses could facilitate this course of action. Why does it have to be collected only at the tribunal?

Considering the lack of judges, why does each case in the first instance have to be examined and decided upon by three judges? Is it not possible to study how tribunals in other parts of the Catholic world conduct their procedures? Isn't there anything that can be learnt from these to have our system function more rapidly and efficiently?

Failure to address this state of affairs will make people grow more disaffected with the way our tribunal is coping with the situation. Couples in crises who file their cases in the tribunal must never be left in the dark about the legal procedures. They must be offered pastoral help both during the time waiting for the judgment and afterwards, especially if the sentence is negative.

But the Ecclesiastical Tribunal is not to be perceived as the panacea for the problems facing Christian marriage today.

The onus for the new evangelisation lies with the Church. But the Church is not made up solely of the hierarchy. The word "Church" is an all-inclusive term and with regards to the family the front-line operators are the Christian families themselves. They are the ones who should be the prime helpers by their Christian witnessing and involvement in family parish work.

Parish priests, aided by trained volunteers, must make better use of their resources and time to cater for the needs of families in their parish. They must reach out to families by dedicating more time to home visiting and keeping the most vulnerable ones under their constant pastoral care.

The Church must bring together all the agencies that work on behalf of the family. Family organisations on a diocesan level must be better coordinated. Those involved in this pastoral work must receive appropriate training and have adequate skills.

Our young people who are aspiring to a Catholic marriage deserve to have a Church that will back them all the way as they journey in an everchanging modern society.

Fr Magri SJ was a member of the working group that prepared the document Marriage and the Family for the Synod Assembly.