The conclusions tied to a questionnaire sent by the Vatican in preparation for the October 2014 Extraordinary Synod studying the pastoral challenges facing the family today have been issued.
The majority of the respondents (72.5%) stated that they were not very familiar with the teaching on the family in the Bible and by the Church, while 17.4% have substantial knowledge such teachings.
In 69.7% of cases, the Church’s teaching on family life is selectively accepted. The teaching that marriage is a sacrament implying fidelity, exclusivity and indissolubility is accepted but 18.8% find it difficult to follow particularly its teaching on contraception and birth control (15.8%).
Since at least 35.3% of the Maltese find the concept of natural law, so common in the Church’s moral and anthropological thought, to be incomprehensible, this is a useless concept in any form of general catechesis.
However, 62.5% accept that the union between a man and a woman with the aim of setting up a family is based on natural law. One fourth of respondents refrained from answering this question.
One fourth (24.9%) of respondents do not agree that lapsed Catholics and declared non-believers should be allowed to celebrate a Church wedding. Those taking a more tolerant position amount in all to 44%. This group varies from 22.3% who are of the opinion that the Church should accept and support these, hoping that they will return to practice their faith, to 2.5% who said that the approach should not be "no" but "yes, with restrictions” (e.g. only bless the union).
Praying together as a family (62%) is still common in Malta although 20% said that they rarely pray together as a family.
Participation at Mass remains a priority for Maltese and Gozitan Catholics: 65.2% attend Mass on Sundays and 53.1% attend frequently; others, amounting to 8.5% said that sometimes they attend Mass.
These figures contrast with results of the mass attendance censuses held by the Church. However, it is obvious that both human error, statistical, margin of error and the fact that answering a question may be considered too confidential, census results are always considered to be more accurate than those based on a sample. In this specific case, Mass Census was essentially a headcount of those present on a particular Sunday.
The rosary and the visit to the Blessed Sacrament remain a very common mode of individual prayer: 49.4% and 45.4% respectively, while 37.7% read the Bible.
The vast majority of parents (83.3%) feel that it is their vocation to transmit their faith to their children and relatives: only 2.8% do not feel that they have this calling. While 48.9% try to transmit their faith by example, especially by living characteristic Christian values (e.g. giving charity, by reciprocal love among the couple, by praying together and going to mass together as a family); 12.3% encourage their children to participate in Church activities.
Only 6.2% “teach” religion to their children while 3.5% challenge them to live Christ's teaching.
Do people feel that the Maltese Church is doing enough to help couples who are facing crises in their married life? Almost half (47.2%) give a positive reply though 10.9% think that as an institution, the Church is not doing enough.
Most respondents know of couples living together though not married. In fact, 29.9% are aware of more than 6 couples living in this way, 36.7% are aware of 2 to 5 couples and 9.2% know of one couple. 28.7% of the Maltese said that cohabitating couples feel that, while God understands them, the Church does not and 9.2% think that the Church excludes them.
See www.thechurchinmalta.org for more information