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Separated Members of Parliament are set to shun Pope Benedict’s high mass on the Granaries in Floriana next Sunday, as Maltese bishops remained adamant in their position that MPs cannot attend the ceremony accompanied by anyone else other than their legitimate spouses.
MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has made it clear that he accepts the prerogative of the Maltese Curia in sending invitations for the Papal Mass on such conditions.
However, he said that he has chosen not to attend, “since my partner has not been invited.”
Pullicino Orlando will not be attending for the ‘photo session’ for MPs in the Hosue of Parliament on Saturday evening, either, “as I would feel uncomfortable doing so.”
The Nationalist MP explained that “it would seem as if I am simply using the Pope’s visit for a photo opportunity since I will be unable to attend for the most meaningful part of the visit, mass.”
In his comments, Pullicino Orlando stressed that in his opinion that “it is rather strange that dignitaries who are married civilly were not subjected to the same treatment. “Individuals in my situation would be given the opportunity of a civil marriage if legislation allowing divorce were to be passed by the Maltese Parliament. But the local Curia is working hard to prevent this from happening. It is also a fact that the local Curia takes an inordinately long time to process applications for annulments, much longer than the time taken in other countries,” he said.
Another politician, PL MP Michael Farrugia – who is also spokesman for social affairs and social inclusion – told MaltaToday that he would only attend the Pope’s mass should an official invitation include his partner.
“I was accompanied by my partner for the Pope’s Mass in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, and likewise I would like to attend mass with my partner for Pope Benedict’s mass in Malta this coming Sunday,” he said.
MaltaToday is informed that Michael Farrugia had a private audience with Archbishop Paul Cremona on Monday evening, in which the Archbishop reportedly kept an adamant position that invitations to separated MPs be kept strictly personal and not include partners.
The MP and the Archbishop reportedly concluded the meeting by “agreeing to disagree”
Farrugia has yet to decide whether he will be present for the parliamentarian’s group photo with the Pope at the Houses of Parliament.
Former Labour Prime Minister Alfred Sant chose not to comment about the issue, stressing, “we are MPs and certainly free to decide on what we are to do today, tomorrow and the day after…”
PL MP Marlene Pullicino will not be attending any of the Papal events given that she will be abroad on business related matters that cannot be postponed. However she stressed that should she have been in Malta, she would have still gone to the Pontiff’s mass even though she is no longer married to her husband.
“Why should I be put into such an awkward situation?” she asked, adding that her partner would have gone just the same.
Contacted yesterday, Fr. Renè Camilleri, a respected theologian and advisor to the Archbishop, told MaltaToday that as soon as he read about the brewing controversy in the Sunday paper he sought clarifications from the Curia.
“I was told that the invitationss were issued according to a list that was forwarded to them,” Fr. Camilleri said, however he stopped short of saying who provided the list of dignitaries: which is usually the government’s office of protocol.
He added however that “it would be a mistake should one reason that it was not fit to invite partners because the Pope was celebrating mass... “I’m sure that such things only happen in Malta, as when the Pope visits other countries or meets people, nobody goes into such details…”
MaltaToday on Sunday quoted Mgr Charles Cordina – the Curia representative and co-chairman of the government-church committee that is organising the Papal visit –saying that the decision to exclude partners from separated MPs invitations was due to the fact that “should partners be invited it would mean that the Church was condoning cohabitation.”
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