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€1.20 maltatoday YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT A MALTESE JUBILEE Download the MaltaToday App now THE 2014 DEBATE PGS 8-9 SUNDAY • 5 JANUARY 2014 • ISSUE 739 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY De Marco: 'MPs must not impose morality' over gay unions bill AUXILIARY BISHOP'S INTERVIEW TO CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER L'AVVENIRE UPS THE ANTE ON GAY UNIONS AND ADOPTION DEBATE AS MGR CHARLES SCICLUNA CALLS ON CATHOLIC MPS TO VOTE AGAINST CIVIL UNIONS JURGEN BALZAN MIRIAM DALLI MORE INSIDE The debate on faith and politics has been reignited as MPs consider gay unions and adoptions, just two years since the introduction of divorce PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD CATHOLIC MPs who vote in favour of the forthcoming civil unions bill which gives same-sex couples the right to enter into a civilly-recognised union and also adopt, would be committing "a gravely immoral act", Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna has told the Italian Catholic newspaper L'Avvenire. But it seems both parties in parliament do not share Scicluna's views. "One could indeed argue whether it would be immoral to vote against [the bill]," PN deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Mario de Marco said, when contacted for his reaction to Scicluna's statement. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday underlined the need for a clear separation between Church and State. "This is a democratic country and the Church is entitled to voice its views on matters it believes are important to its teachings. Yet, as a modern democracy, State and Church matters are separate," Muscat said. He reiterated that the Labour government was elected "with a very strong mandate" to implement its electoral manifesto, which includes civil unions. "That is what we will keep doing for the rest of the legislature. 2014 will be the year of equality in Malta," Muscat said. In an interview to l'Avvenire, Scicluna said catholic lawmakers had the "moral duty" to vote against the bill. "Granting the vote in favour of a law RAPHAEL VASSALLO pg 12-13 CLAUDINE CASSAR pg 21 Unlike other MPs, Nationalist deputy leader Mario de Marco did not shy away from taking a position on Bishop Scicluna's call to 'Catholic MPs' to vote against gay unions so harmful to the common good of society is a gravely immoral act," Scicluna said, citing the Vatican's 2003 considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to homosexual unions. Scicluna has been vociferous in reiterating the catholic church's opposition to same-sex unions, not only to voice the Church's opinion but also to increase pressure on the country's legislators against adoptions by same- sex couples. Scicluna has also accused the three political parties – PN, PL and Green party Alternattiva Demokratika – of pandering to the gay lobby for votes. "In a frantic rush to grab votes, all political parties have promised to facilitate the claims of the gay lobby and promised legislation in favour of civil unions. After the elections of March 2013, Labour, led by Dr Joseph Muscat, won and the government has moved to honour its commitment to the gay lobby," Scicluna told the foreign paper. Upping the ante, Scicluna has also claimed that the Pope was "shocked" at discovering that Malta was about to recognise gay couples. On Friday, he reiterated the Pope had been "saddened" by the development, especially on the issue of adoptions. Scicluna told the Pope that promot- ers of the bill would cite his words – "If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and good will, who am I to judge?" – but would not cite what the Pope had also said in 2010 when he was still Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires. "The Pope repeated a phrase of his letter of 2010: 'It's an anthropological setback'," Scicluna said. FULL STORY BACK PAGE Arriva routes plan cost €640,000, paid to Sapiano and Halcrow As Arriva ends a disastrous twoyear sojourn in Malta, amassing debts of just under €70 million, the government is picking up the pieces of the transport system that has now been nationalised. But many are left wondering whether public transport will truly ever enjoy a new lease of life. Under the new routes devised in July 2011, Arriva introduced longer routes crisscrossing the entire island so that it could turn unprofitable routes into money-making trips and carry more commuters on its bendy-buses. But the longer routes complicated arrival times, and the reduction in bus fleet made journeys less frequent. The bendy buses, purchased from the Tumas Group, a former shareholder in Arriva Malta, turned out to be a veritable nightmare: too big for Maltese roads. The future of public transport PAGE 4 Newspaper post THE design for the new public transport routes cost an impressive €640,000, and were devised by English firm Halcrow and the law firm led by former Nationalist candidate, Georg Sapiano (pictured). Sapiano's Aequitas Legal alone was paid over €330,000, while another €200,00 was paid to other companies.