Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/919364
8 News maltatoday SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2017 Christmas specials • Civil liberties and identity I, Paul, take you, Peter... Gay marriage kept Malta at the top of ILGA's Rainbow Index of LGBTIQ rights but social progress also infected the Church and not everyone was happy about it THE pace of social change con- tinued unabated in 2017 as same- sex marriage became a reality just three years after Malta introduced civil unions for gay partners. The development came on the back of trail-blazing legisla- tion that banned gay conversion therapy and made it easier for transgender people to have their gender status recognised. Malta again topped the chart for LGBTIQ rights across Europe, a mere four years since it lan- guished on the bottom rungs of the Rainbow Index. The Labour government adopt- ed a progressive agenda since coming to power for the first time in 2013 and this has created historic political and social mile- stones. The pace of change continued throughout 2017 but for some the momentum has been unsettling. The new laws of recent years ensured gender equality in all its aspects, granting rights to the LG- BTIQ community that were un- dreamt of up to a few years ago. The developments challenged the conservative view of family grounded in Christian belief. For some, the gender-neutral lan- guage used in the marriage equal- ity law, which was enacted soon after the June election, was an affront to the traditional family model. In Parliament, Nationalist Party MP David Agius – he subsequent- ly became PN deputy leader - de- cried the end of the world, insist- ing with fervour that he would still call his mother, 'mother'. Eventually, despite misgivings by some Opposition MPs with the new law, all, bar Edwin Vassallo, voted in favour of marriage equal- ity. Peter and Paul could now get married like any other heterosex- ual couple. But the rapid pace of change appears to have also infected the Church. In January, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech came in for serious criti- cism by some members of the clergy for their guidelines on how divorced and re-married Catho- lics should be treated. Based on Pope Francis's exhorta- tion Amoris Laetitia, the bishops said Catholics, who according to Church doctrine were in irregu- lar situations, could be allowed to receive communion after passing through a discernment process. The guidelines did not go down too well with the more conserva- tive elements within the Church but the dissent was not voiced in public, apart from the odd priest here and there. The bishops were accused of surrendering to secularism by William Oddie, an English Catho- lic writer and broadcaster, writing in the Catholic Herald last Febru- ary. "The Maltese Church was tooth and nail opposed to it [secularisa- tion]. Now, its two bishops have not only surrendered to it, but have declared themselves its will- ing collaborators," Oddie wrote. They were harsh words that were repeated by some Maltese priests in private. The guidelines came as a sur- prise. Only a few years earlier, Bishop Grech had been a pitchfork advocate against the introduction of divorce. He has gradually mod- erated his views, espousing a more compassionate church. It is not as if the Maltese church has suddenly ditched age-old Christian doctrine on the fam- ily but the opening to divorced Catholics has departed from the judgemental attitude of the past. But the wind of change also came from society's grass roots in 2017. A short but vocal campaign by a group of women for the in- troduction of the morning after pill found a listening ear in the political establishment. The morning after pill became a reality for Maltese women in 2017 as the medical authorities adopted a scientific approach amid cries from the conservative elements in society that it was abortive. But change is unlikely to stop blowing in the new year. In 2017, the Labour Party was re-elected with a mandate to initiate a dis- cussion on the legalisation of marijuana for recreational use and an overhaul of the law regu- lating in-vitro fertilisation. While on the marijuana issue the government has been very cautious in not laying out the spe- cific details of what it intends to do, on the IVF law the expected developments are clearer. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has gone on record in Parliament saying the government had a mandate to introduce gamete do- nation and embryo freezing. That alone will ensure another heated debate that will pitch pro- gressives against conservatives as the country plods down the road of increased secularisation. Seasonal Greetings from the Topaz Hotel, Management & Staff Now is the time to treat yourself to a relaxing break! 4 nights in February & March 2018 on half board basis at only €93.00 per person. So call now on 2014 6000 to place your reservation. Topaz Hotel, Censu Tanti Street, Bugibba, SPB3025 For reservations contact: Email reservations@topaz.com.mt New laws of recent years ensured gender equality in all its aspects, granting rights to the LGBTIQ community that were undreamt of up to a few years ago KURT SANSONE PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI