On the 27th anniversary from the presentation by the Holy See, of the Charter of the Rights of the Family, ProgettImpenn organised a conference at the Catholic Institute, Floriana, on Friday, 23rd October 2010. The guest speaker, Fr Rene’ Camilleri, reiterated that there is no doubt that today, 27 years after its publication, the Charter is still relevant; yet one must ask whether this Charter is actually a remedy for all that ails marriage and the family in our age. To this question, Fr Rene’s reply – a reply which is maybe not obvious to everyone – was no!
Fr Rene’ Camilleri gave many reasons for this – among which he stated that although it is important to have a juridical and legal set-up that protects the family and marriage as an institution, we cannot rest our laurels upon laws and legislators any longer where our beliefs are concerned. We need to seek what is happening in the hearts of people, and what makes a person more authentic and whole.
Human rights are fundamental to our culture, and they may be cited in favour of the institution of the family; however, it may just as well be said that a person’s liberty and individuality could take priority before the family itself. In our times, married life does not depend so much upon the institution itself. Rather it is based more upon the level of commitment of the spouses and to what extent they invest in it.
For this reason, we cannot set our minds at rest simply because there exists a Charter which protects marriage as an institution, since the disorder which is wrought by disastrous marriages and weak families, is not a form of disorder that may be remedied by legal set-ups. Today it is more important for us to understand what lies at the root of man’s weaknesses and why our interpersonal relations are rendered as being so fragile.
After Fr Camilleri’s presentation, the debate was turned over to the floor. Following that, Archbishop Paul Cremona addressed the seminar. He recalled the sentiments of the Bishops, expressed in last Sunday’s Pastoral Note on Marriage and the Family: It is the mission of the Church to put all of its members in front of our Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings. It must facilitate our direct encounter with Jesus and not just bring us into contact with the Church itself.
Click here to download Fr Rene’ Camilleri’s full speech (Maltese version).
Click on the photo to enlarge. The photos of the Archbishop’s events may be purchased from PHOTOCITY, Valletta. Tel: 21236723. Email: [email protected]