MaltaToday, 16 Jan 2008 | Cana hits back at criticism of family memo
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NEWS | Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Cana hits back at criticism of family memo

A critical put-down by media analyst Fr Joe Borg in his daily review on Campus FM has attracted comment from the Cana Movement, who says Fr Borg “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.
On Monday Borg called into question a Church memorandum on the family in which he commented was a mere page and three-quarters long, “not even two pages”, saying the piece lacked the denseness of work prepared by other ecclesiastical bodies, such as the Church’s Environment Commission.
The Diocesan Commission for the Family, together with Caritas and the Cana Movement, recently sent a memorandum on family policy and marriage to political parties, inviting them to “give utmost importance to the family and its relationship to marriage, between man and woman until death, for the benefit of the couple and the conception and upbringing of children.”
Contacted by MaltaToday, Fr Borg said: “some of the ideas the organisations came up with might make sense, but the document fails to outline methods with which the proposed policies are to be implemented.
“When the Diocese’s Environmental commission issues a report, it enters into exhaustive detail on every affirmation made. In the same way, I expected to see studies and statistics backing every point featured in this memorandum. There was no scientific explanation to what they said carries a negative impact. The authors of this memorandum almost expect to be believed just because they say so.”
The memorandum features a set of nine proposed family measures – among which are the foundation of an inter-ministerial committee to implement a holistic strategy in favour of marriage and the family.
The document also outlined the need for an increase in funding and human resources at the National Commission for the Family; a dedicated study programme on marriage and family in primary, secondary and tertiary levels; and full backing, including financial, to NGOs working in support of families and marriage.
On her part, Cana Movement President Dr Anna Vella said that Fr Borg “clearly didn’t know what he was talking about”.
“The memorandum is based on the premise that broken marriages carry negative impacts on family units and children. This is not something we’ve invented. Last September we organised a conference addressed by Dr Samantha Callan, an acclaimed research consultant. Her studies on the affects of broken marriages on families have been sent to political parties along with the memorandum.”


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